Electronic devices and systems, and methods for making and using the same

ABSTRACT

Some structures and methods to reduce power consumption in devices can be implemented largely by reusing existing bulk CMOS process flows and manufacturing technology, allowing the semiconductor industry as well as the broader electronics industry to avoid a costly and risky switch to alternative technologies. Some of the structures and methods relate to a Deeply Depleted Channel (DDC) design, allowing CMOS based devices to have a reduced σVT compared to conventional bulk CMOS and can allow the threshold voltage VT of FETs having dopants in the channel region to be set much more precisely. The DDC design also can have a strong body effect compared to conventional bulk CMOS transistors, which can allow for significant dynamic control of power consumption in DDC transistors. Additional structures, configurations, and methods presented herein can be used alone or in conjunction with the DDC to yield additional and different benefits.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.16/129,518 filed Sep. 12, 2018, which is a divisional of U.S.application Ser. No. 15/398,471 filed Jan. 4, 2017 and now U.S. Pat. No.10,217,668, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.15/241,337 filed Aug. 19, 2016 and now U.S. Pat. No. 10,224,244, whichis a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/642,156 filed Mar. 9,2015 and now U.S. Pat. No. 10,074,568, which is a divisional of U.S.application Ser. No. 14/082,931 filed Nov. 18, 2013 and now U.S. Pat.No. 8,975,128, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.13/616,859 filed Sep. 14, 2012 and now U.S. Pat. No. 8,604,530, which isa continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/708,497 filed Feb. 18,2010 and now U.S. Pat. No. 8,273,617, which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Application No. 61/247,300, filed Sep. 30, 2009 and U.S.Provisional Application No. 61/262,122, filed Nov. 17, 2009. Thedisclosure all of the above are hereby incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present disclosure relates in general to semiconductor structuresand fabrication and more particularly to electronic devices and systemsand methods for making and using the same.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Electronic devices have become an integral part of daily life as neverbefore. Systems such as personal computers and mobile phones havefundamentally reshaped how we work, how we play, and how we communicate.Each passing year brings the introduction of new devices such as digitalmusic players, e-book readers and tablets, as well as improvements topreexisting families of products. These new devices show ever increasinginnovation that continues to transform how we conduct our lives.

The rising importance of electronic systems to the world economy andmodem culture has, to date, been enabled in significant part by thesemiconductor industry's adherence to Moore's Law. Named after GordonMoore, a founder of Intel who first observed the phenomenon, Moore's Lawprovides that the number of transistors that can be made inexpensivelywithin the same area on an integrated circuit (or chip) steadilyincreases over time. Some industry experts quantify the law, stating,for example, that the number of transistors within the same area roughlydoubles approximately every two years. Without the increase infunctionality and related decreases in cost and size provided by Moore'sLaw, many electronics systems that are widely available today would nothave been practicable or affordable.

For some time the semiconductor industry has succeeded in holding toMoore's Law by using bulk CMOS technology to make circuits in chips.Bulk CMOS technology has proven to be particularly “scalable,” meaningthat bulk CMOS transistors can be made smaller and smaller whileoptimizing and reusing existing manufacturing processes and equipment inorder to maintain acceptable production costs. Historically, as the sizeof a bulk CMOS transistor decreased, so did its power consumption,helping the industry provide increased transistor density at a reducedcost in keeping with Moore's Law. Thus, the semiconductor industry hasbeen able to scale the power consumption of bulk CMOS transistors withtheir size, reducing the cost of operating transistors and the systemsin which they reside.

In recent years, however, decreasing the power consumption of bulk CMOStransistors while reducing their size has become increasingly moredifficult. Transistor power consumption directly affects chip powerconsumption, which, in turn, affects the cost of operating a system and,in some cases, the utility of the system. For example, if the number oftransistors in the same chip area doubles while the power consumptionper transistor remains the same or increases, the power consumption ofthe chip will more than double. This is due in part by the need to coolthe resulting chip, which also requires more energy. As a result, thiswould more than double the energy costs charged to the end user foroperating the chip. Such increased power consumption could alsosignificantly reduce the usefulness of consumer electronics, forexample, by reducing the battery life of mobile devices. It could alsohave other effects such as increasing heat generation and the need forheat dissipation, potentially decreasing reliability of the system, andnegatively impacting the environment.

There has arisen among semiconductor engineers a widespread perceptionthat continued reduction of power consumption of bulk CMOS isinfeasible, in part because it is believed that the operating voltageV_(DD) of the transistor can no longer be reduced as transistor sizedecreases. A CMOS transistor is either on or off. The CMOS transistor'sstate is determined by the value of a voltage applied to the gate of thetransistor relative to a threshold voltage V_(T) of the transistor.While a transistor is switched on, it consumes dynamic power, which canbe expressed by the equation:P _(dynamic) =CV _(DD) ² f

Where V_(DD) is the operating voltage supplied to the transistor, C isthe load capacitance of the transistor when it is switched on, and f isthe frequency at which the transistor is operated. While a transistor isswitched off, it consumes static power, which can be expressed by theequation: P_(static)=I_(OFF) V_(DD), where I_(OFF) is the leakagecurrent when the transistor is switched off. Historically, the industryhas reduced transistor power consumption primarily by reducing theoperating voltage V_(DD), which reduces both dynamic and static power.

The ability to reduce the operating voltage V_(DD), depends in part onbeing able to accurately set the threshold voltage V_(T), but that hasbecome increasingly difficult as transistor dimensions decrease becauseof a variety of factors, including, for example, Random DopantFluctuation (RDF). For transistors made using bulk CMOS processes, theprimary parameter that sets the threshold voltage V_(T) is the amount ofdopants in the channel. Other factors that affect V_(T) are haloimplantation, source and drain extension, and other factors. In theory,this can be done precisely, such that the same transistors on the samechip will have the same V_(T), but in reality the threshold voltages canvary significantly. This means that these transistors will not allswitch on at the same time in response to the same gate voltage, andsome may never switch on. For transistors having a channel length of 100nm or less, RDF is a major determinant of variations in V_(T), typicallyreferred to as sigma V_(T) or σV_(T), and the amount of σV_(T) caused byRDF only increases as channel length decreases. As shown in FIG. 1 ,which is based on information provided by Intel Corporation, estimatedexperimental data, together with a keynote presentation by Kiyoo Itoh,Hitachi Ltd., IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference, 2009,the conventional wisdom among semiconductor engineers has been thatincreasing σV_(T) in nanoscale bulk CMOS sets 1.0 V as a practical lowerlimit for the operating voltage V_(DD) going forward. V_(DD) isillustrated as a downward sloping function, with an industry goal toreduce to a TARGET area. The curve for σV_(T), however, increases withdecreasing device feature size, where the RDF actually causes V_(min) toincrease. The power function of dynamic and static power isPower=CV_(DD) ²f+IV_(DD). Thus, overall power increases.

For these and other reasons, engineers in the semiconductor industrywidely believe that bulk CMOS must be abandoned in future process nodesdespite the fact that there are many known techniques for reducingσV_(T) in short channel devices. For example, one conventional approachto reducing σV_(T) in bulk CMOS involves acting to provide a non-uniformdoping profile that increases dopant concentration in a channel as itextends vertically downward (away from the gate toward the substrate).Although this type of retrograde doping profile does reduce thesensitivity to the doping variations, it increases the sensitivity toshort channel effects that adversely affect device operation. Because ofshort channel effects, these doping parameters are generally notscalable for nanoscale devices, making this approach not generallysuitable for use with nanoscale, short channel transistors. Withtechnology moving toward short channel devices formed at the 45 nm oreven 22 nm process nodes, benefits of the retrograde approach in suchdevices are perceived to be limited.

Semiconductor engineers working to overcome these technologicalobstacles have also attempted to use super steep retrograde wells (SSRW)to address performance issues associated with scaling down to thenanoscale region. Like retrograde doping for nanometer scale devices,the SSRW technique uses a special doping profile, forming a heavilydoped layer beneath a lightly doped channel. The SSRW profile differsfrom retrograde doping in having a very steep increase in dopant levelsto reduce the channel doping to as low a level as possible. Such steepdopant profiles can result in reduction of short channel effects,increased mobility in the channel region, and less parasiticcapacitance. However, it is very difficult to achieve these structureswhen manufacturing these devices for high volume, nanoscale integratedcircuit applications. This difficulty is due in part to out-diffusion ofthe retrograde well and SSRW dopant species into the channel region,especially for a p-well device such as the NMOS transistor. Also, use ofSSRW does not eliminate issues with random dopant density fluctuationsthat can increase σV_(T) to unacceptable levels.

In addition to these and other attempts to work through shortcomings ofexisting bulk CMOS implementations, the industry has become heavilyfocused on CMOS transistor structures that have no dopants in thechannel. Such transistor structures include, for example, fully depletedSilicon On Insulator (SOI) and various FINFET, or omega gate devices.SOI devices typically have transistors defined on a thin top siliconlayer that is separated from a silicon substrate by a thin insulatinglayer of glass or silicon dioxide, known as a Buried Oxide (BOX) layer.FINFET devices use multiple gates to control the electrical field in asilicon channel. Such can have reduced σV_(T) by having low dopants inthe silicon channel. This makes atomic level variations in number orposition of dopant atoms implanted in the channel inconsequential.However, both types of devices require wafers and related processingthat are more complex and expensive than those used in bulk CMOS.

Given the substantial costs and risks associated with transitioning to anew technology, manufacturers of semiconductors and electronic systemshave long sought a way to extend the use of bulk CMOS. Those effortshave so far proven unsuccessful. The continued reduction of powerconsumption in bulk CMOS has increasingly become viewed in thesemiconductor industry as an insurmountable problem.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows an example of the trend of the power limit and σVT limitfor device scaling.

FIG. 2A shows a view of a Field Effect Transistor having a deeplydepleted channel (DDC) according to one embodiment.

FIG. 2B shows a view of a channel having a deeply depleted regionaccording to one embodiment.

FIG. 2C shows another example of a channel having three regions ofdifferent doping concentrations according to one embodiment.

FIG. 2D shows another example of a channel having a deeply depletedregion according to one embodiment.

FIG. 3 shows a graph of dopant concentration versus channel depthaccording to one embodiment.

FIG. 4 shows a graph of variations of dopant concentration versus devicedepth according to one embodiment.

FIG. 5 shows an example of a statistical rendering of differentthreshold voltages from various devices plotted against supply voltagesaccording to an embodiment.

FIG. 6 illustrate an example of improved σVT according to oneembodiment.

FIG. 7A shows an example of a bulk CMOS transistor made according toconventional processes and structures.

FIG. 7B shows a DDC transistor according to an embodiment, having asignificantly deeper depletion region as compared to the conventionalbulk CMOS device of FIG. 7A.

FIG. 8A shows an example of a FET corresponding to the conventional bulkCMOS structure illustrated in FIG. 7A.

FIG. 8B shows an example of a FET that corresponding to the novel deepwell structure illustrated in FIG. 7B.

FIG. 9 shows an example of a universal mobility curve for NMOS devices.

FIG. 10 shows an example of a comparison between the threshold voltageand body bias of a DDC structure versus a uniform channel.

FIG. 11 shows a comparison of σVT versus body bias voltage of a DDCstructure versus a uniform channel.

FIG. 12 shows an example of a comparison between the profile of a novelDDC structure and that of conventional bulk CMOS with SSRW.

FIG. 13 shows an example of a comparison of conventional CMOS deviceswith that of structures configured according to embodiments disclosedherein.

FIGS. 14A-I show examples of a process flow for fabricating a devicehaving a channel with a DDC doping profile.

FIG. 15 shows an example of a multi-mode device having a highly dopedscreen region and a mechanism to apply a body bias voltage to the body.

FIG. 16 shows an example of a comparison of threshold voltage VT versusbias voltage VBS between n-channel DDC devices and conventionaln-channel devices.

FIG. 17A shows an example of how the variation in threshold voltage fromdevice to device causes a wide spread in delay time in a conventionaldevice.

FIG. 17B shows an example of an improved delay time characteristic forDDC devices according to an embodiment.

FIG. 18 shows a graph of static VT values set for a device according toone embodiment.

FIG. 19 shows an example of multiple groups of transistors havingindividual bodies according to one embodiment.

FIGS. 20A and 20B show an example of an n-channel 4-terminal transistorlayout according to one embodiment.

FIGS. 21A, 21B and 21C show an example of a channel 4-terminaltransistor having a shallow P-well (SPW) according to one embodiment.

FIGS. 22A and 22B show an example of a dynamic multimode transistorhaving a body access transistor according to one embodiment.

FIGS. 23A and 23B show another example of a dynamic multimode transistorhaving partial trench isolation (PTI) according to one embodiment.

FIGS. 24A, 24B and 24C show an example of a 4-terminal transistor havingPTI according to one embodiment.

FIGS. 25A, 25B and 25C show an example of a 3-terminal transistor withlocal interconnect according to one embodiment.

FIGS. 26A, 26B and 26C show another example of a 3-terminal transistorwith PGC to connect the body to the gate according to one embodiment.

FIGS. 27A, 27B and 27C show another example of a 3-terminal transistorwith the body contact made in an active area extended under a gateextension according to one embodiment.

FIGS. 28A, 28B and 28C show another example of a 3-terminal transistorwith the body contact according to one embodiment.

FIGS. 29A, 29B and 29C show an example of a programmable 4/3-terminaltransistor according to one embodiment.

FIG. 30 shows an example of a circuit capable of dynamic mode switchingusing 4-terminal transistors according to one embodiment.

FIG. 31 shows an example of a dynamic mode switching circuit using4-terminal transistors according to one embodiment.

FIG. 32A shows an example of a circuit capable of dynamic mode switchingaccording to one embodiment.

FIG. 32B shows an example of a cross section for the circuit blocks inFIG. 32A.

FIG. 33A shows an example of a circuit capable of dynamic mode switchingaccording to one embodiment.

FIG. 33B shows an example of a cross section for the circuit blocks inFIG. 33A.

FIGS. 34Ai and 34Aii show an example of a circuit configured withdifferent commonly used components.

FIG. 34B shows an example of a group of transistors using body accesspoly according to one embodiment.

FIG. 34C shows an example of a group of transistors using body accesstransistor according to one embodiment.

FIG. 34D shows an example of a group of transistors using body accesstransistors with separate taps according to one embodiment.

FIGS. 34Ei, 34Eii and 34Eiii show an example of a cross section viewcorresponding to FIG. 34D.

FIGS. 35A, 35B and 35C show an example of a multi-mode switch circuitusing mixed legacy devices and new devices according to one embodiment.

FIG. 36 shows an example of another multi-mode switch circuit based on alegacy approach.

FIGS. 37A, 37B and 37C show an example of a multi-mode switch circuitbased on the partially depleted (PD) SOI technology according to oneembodiment.

FIG. 38 shows an example of a 6T SRAM cell according to one embodiment.

FIG. 39 shows an example of a layout example for the 6T SRAM of FIG. 38.

FIGS. 40Ai, 40Aii and 40Aiii show examples of cross sections of thelayout of FIG. 39 .

FIG. 40B shows an example of a perspective view of the 6T SRAM cellcorresponding to FIG. 39 .

FIG. 41A shows an example of a top view of the well corresponding toFIG. 39.

FIG. 41B shows an example of 6T SRAM cells stacked up to form a 2×2array according to one embodiment.

FIG. 42 shows a layout example of a tap cell usable in conjunction withembodiments described herein.

FIGS. 43A, 43B and 43C show an example of cross sectional viewscorresponding to FIG. 42 .

FIG. 44 shows an example of a top view of the tap cell of FIG. 42 .

FIG. 45 shows an example of forming a 2×2 SRAM array according to oneembodiment.

FIG. 46 shows an example of a 4×4 SRAM array using tap cells for SPWisolation according to one embodiment.

FIG. 47 shows an example of a 6T-SRAM circuit for VSS per row accordingto one embodiment.

FIG. 48 shows an example of layout of the SRAM cell corresponding toFIG. 47 .

FIG. 49A shows an example of the SPW and SNW of the SRAM layoutcorresponding to FIG. 48 .

FIG. 49B shows a 2×2 SRAM array having a Vss per row technique accordingto one embodiment.

FIG. 49C shows a 4×4 SRAM array having a Vss per row technique accordingto one embodiment.

FIG. 50 shows another example of a layout of the SRAM cell correspondingto FIG. 47 .

FIG. 51A shows an example of the SPW and SNW of the SRAM layoutcorresponding to FIG. 50 .

FIG. 51B shows an example of a 2×2 SRAM array having Vss per rowaccording to one embodiment.

FIG. 51C shows a 4×4 SRAM array having Vss per row according to oneembodiment.

FIGS. 52 through 54 illustrate system applications of DDC devices andembodiments discussed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A suite of novel structures and methods is provided to reduce powerconsumption in a wide array of electronic devices and systems. Some ofthese structures and methods can be implemented largely by reusingexisting bulk CMOS process flows and manufacturing technology, allowingthe semiconductor industry as well as the broader electronics industryto avoid a costly and risky switch to alternative technologies.

As will be discussed, some of the structures and methods relate to aDeeply Depleted Channel (DDC) design. The DDC can permit CMOS deviceshaving reduced σV_(T) compared to conventional bulk CMOS and can allowthe threshold voltage VT of FETs having dopants in the channel region tobe set much more precisely. The DDC design also can have a strong bodyeffect compared to conventional bulk CMOS transistors, which can allowfor significant dynamic control of power consumption in DDC transistors.There are many ways to configure the DDC to achieve different benefits,and additional structures and methods presented herein can be used aloneor in conjunction with the DDC to yield additional benefits.

Also provided are advantageous methods and structures for integratingtransistors on a chip including, for example, implementations that cantake advantage of the DDC to provide improved chip power consumption. Inaddition, the transistors and integrated circuits in some embodimentscan enable a variety of other benefits including lower heat dissipation,improved reliability, miniaturization, and/or more favorablemanufacturing economics. There are a variety of approaches to accentuatesome or all of the advantages of the new transistor structure, bothstatically and dynamically. Many of the developments at the integratedcircuit level provide advantages even in the absence of the noveltransistors discussed herein. Many of the methods and structures may beuseful in types of devices other than bulk CMOS transistors including,for example, other types of transistors that have dopants in the channeland/or a body.

Also provided are methods and structures for incorporating and using theinnovations described herein in systems, such as in electronic products,to provide benefits including, in some implementations, improved powerconsumption at the system level, improved system performance, improvedsystem cost, improved system manufacturability and/or improved systemreliability. As will be demonstrated, the innovations can advantageouslybe employed in a wide range of electronic systems including, in someembodiments, in consumer devices such as personal computers, mobilephones, televisions, digital music players, set top boxes, laptop andpalmtop computing devices, e-book readers, digital cameras, GPS systems,flat panel displays, portable data storage devices and tablets, as wellas in a variety of other electronic devices. In some of theseimplementations, the transistors and integrated circuits can materiallyenhance the operation and, accordingly, the commercial suitability, ofthe electronic system as a whole. In some embodiments, innovativetransistors, integrated circuits and systems that contain them asdescribed herein may also enable more environmentally friendlyimplementations than alternative approaches.

In one embodiment, a novel Field Effect Transistor (FET) structure isprovided that has precisely controlled threshold voltage in comparisonto conventional short channel devices. It can also have improvedmobility and other important transistor characteristics. This structureand methods of making it can allow FET transistors that have a lowoperating voltage as compared to conventional devices. In addition, oralternatively, they can allow for the threshold voltage of such a deviceto be dynamically controlled during operation. The FET in someimplementations can provide designers with the ability to design anintegrated circuit having FET devices that can be dynamically adjustedwhile the circuit is in operation. The FET structure in an integratedcircuit, in some embodiments, can be designed with nominally identicalstructure, and in addition or alternatively can be controlled, modulatedor programmed to operate at different operating voltages in response todifferent bias voltages. These structures can enable a circuit tostatically specify and/or dynamically change modes of operation in anefficient and reliable manner. In addition, in some implementationsthese structures can be configured post-fabrication for differentapplications within a circuit.

These and other benefits provide an advancement in digital circuits thatfulfills many needs of designers, producers, and consumers. Thesebenefits can provide systems composed of novel structures that enablecontinued and further advancement of integrated circuits, resulting indevices and systems with improved performance. In some implementations,bulk CMOS may continue for an additional period to keep pace withMoore's Law and further innovations in bulk CMOS based circuits andsystems can continue to improve at advanced performance rates. Theembodiments and examples will be described herein with reference totransistors, integrated circuits, electronic systems, and relatedmethods, and will highlight the features and benefits that the novelstructures and methods provide at various levels of the manufacturingprocess and the chain of commerce, including to end users of electronicproducts. The application of concepts inherent in these examples tostructures and methods of producing integrated circuits and electronicsystems will prove expansive. Accordingly, it will be understood thatthe spirit and scope of the inventions is not limited to theseembodiments and examples, but is only limited by the claims appendedherein and also in related and co-assigned applications.

A nanoscale Field Effect Transistor (FET) structure with a gate lengthless than 90 nanometers is provided with a more precisely controllablethreshold voltage than conventional nanoscale FET devices. Additionalbenefits include improved carrier mobility and reduced variance inthreshold voltage due to RDFs. One embodiment includes a nanoscale FETstructure operable to have a depletion zone or region that extends to adepth below the gate set to be greater than one-half the gate length.The FET structure has at least two regions with different dopingconcentrations to help define a DDC in this depletion zone or regionbelow the gate. In one example, a first region near the gate has a lowerdopant concentration than a second region separated from the firstregion, and located at a distance below the gate. This provides a firstlow doped channel region (typically a substantially undoped epitaxiallygrown channel layer) paired with a second doped screening region thatcan act to define a DDC by terminating electric fields emanating fromthe gate when a threshold voltage or greater is applied to the gate. Thedeeply depleted region can alternatively be referred to as a DDC ordeeply depleted zone, and will vary in spatial extent andcharacteristics depending on transistor structure and electricaloperating conditions. There are many variations on the exact geometryand location of these structures and regions, and some are described inmore detail below.

These structures and the methods of making the structures allow for FETtransistors having both a low operating voltage and a low thresholdvoltage as compared to conventional nanoscale devices. Furthermore, theyallow for the threshold voltage of such a device to be dynamicallycontrolled during operation. Ultimately, these structures and themethods of making structures provide for designing integrated circuitshaving FET devices that can be dynamically adjusted while the circuit isin operation. Thus, transistors in an integrated circuit can be designedwith nominally identical structure, and can be controlled, modulated orprogrammed to operate at different operating voltages in response todifferent bias voltages, or to operate in different operating modes inresponse to different bias voltages and operating voltages. In addition,these can be configured post-fabrication for different applicationswithin a circuit.

Certain embodiments and examples are described herein with reference totransistors and highlight the features and benefits that the novelstructures and methods provide transistors. However, the applicabilityof concepts inherent in these examples to structures and methods ofproducing integrated circuits is expansive and not limited totransistors or bulk CMOS. Accordingly, it will be understood in the artthat the spirit and scope of the inventions is not limited to theseembodiments and examples or to the claims appended herein and also inrelated and co-assigned applications, but may be advantageously appliedin other digital circuitry contexts.

In the following description, numerous specific details are given ofsome of the preferred ways in which the inventions may be implemented.It is readily apparent that the inventions can be practiced withoutthese specific details. In other instances, well known circuits,components, algorithms, and processes have not been shown in detail orhave been illustrated in schematic or block diagram form in order not toobscure the inventions in unnecessary detail. Additionally, for the mostpart, details concerning materials, tooling, process timing, circuitlayout, and die design have been omitted inasmuch as such details arenot necessary to obtain a complete understanding of the inventions asthey are considered to be within the understanding of persons ofordinary skill in the relevant art. Certain terms are used throughoutthe following description and claims to refer to particular systemcomponents. Similarly, it will be appreciated that components may bereferred to by different names and the descriptions herein are notintended to distinguish between components that differ in name but notfunction. In the following discussion and in the claims, the terms“including” and “comprising” are used in an open-ended fashion, and thusshould be interpreted to mean “including, but not limited to,” forexample.

Various embodiments and examples of the methods and structures mentionedabove are described herein. It will be realized that this detaileddescription is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any waylimiting. Other embodiments will readily suggest themselves to personsof ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure.Reference will be made in detail to embodiments illustrated in theaccompanying drawings. The same reference indicators will be usedthroughout the drawings and the following detailed description to referto the same or like parts.

In the interest of clarity, not all of the routine features of theimplementations and embodiments described herein are shown anddescribed. It will, of course, be appreciated that in the development ofany such actual implementation of the inventions herein, numerousimplementation-specific decisions will typically be made in order toachieve the developer's specific goals. Moreover, it will be appreciatedthat such a development effort might be complex and time-consuming, butwould nevertheless be a routine undertaking of engineering for those ofordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure.

Also, concentrations of atoms implanted or otherwise present in asubstrate or crystalline layers of a semiconductor to modify physicaland electrical characteristics of a semiconductor will be described interms of physical and functional regions or layers. These may beunderstood by those skilled in the art as three-dimensional masses ofmaterial that have particular averages of concentrations. Or, they maybe understood as sub-regions or sub-layers with different or spatiallyvarying concentrations. They may also exist as small groups of dopantatoms, regions of substantially similar dopant atoms or the like, orother physical embodiments. Descriptions of the regions based on theseproperties are not intended to limit the shape, exact location ororientation. They are also not intended to limit these regions or layersto any particular type or number of process steps, type or numbers oflayers (e.g., composite or unitary), semiconductor deposition, etchtechniques, or growth techniques utilized. These processes may includeepitaxially formed regions or atomic layer deposition, dopant implantmethodologies or particular vertical or lateral dopant profiles,including linear, monotonically increasing, retrograde, or othersuitable spatially varying dopant concentration. The embodiments andexamples included herein may show specific processing techniques ormaterials used, such as epitaxial and other processes described belowand illustrated in FIGS. 14A-I. These examples are only intended asillustrative examples, and are not nor should they be construed aslimiting. The dopant profile may have one or more regions or layers withdifferent dopant concentrations, and the variations in concentrationsand how the regions or layers are defined, regardless of process, mayormay not be detectable via techniques including infrared spectroscopy,Rutherford Back Scattering (RBS), Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy(SIMS), or other dopant analysis tools using different qualitative orquantitative dopant concentration determination methodologies.

FIG. 2A shows a Field Effect Transistor (FET) 100 configured accordingto one embodiment. The FET 100 includes a gate electrode 102, source104, drain 106, and a gate stack 108 positioned over a channel 110. Thechannel 110 may be deeply depleted, meaning that the depth of thechannel measured generally from the gate stack to the screening region112 is notably deeper than conventional channel depths, as described inmore detail below. The channel 110 is illustrated above a screeningregion 112, but may be layered with different dopant concentrations asdiscussed below, were the change in dopants are relative from region toregion (or layer to layer) including the screening region. In operation,a bias voltage 122 V BS may be applied to source 104, and P+ terminal126 is connected to P-well 114 at connection 124 to close the circuit.The gate stack 108 includes a gate electrode 102, gate contact 118 and agate dielectric 128. Gate spacers 130 are included to separate the gatefrom the source and drain. Source/Drain Extensions (SDE) 132 extend thesource and drain under the dielectric 128.

The FET 100 is shown as an N-channel transistor having a source anddrain made of N-type dopant material, formed upon a substrate as P-typedoped silicon substrate providing a P-well 114 formed on a substrate116. However, it will be understood that, with appropriate change tosubstrate or dopant material, a non-silicon P-type semiconductortransistor formed from other suitable substrates such as GalliumArsenide based materials may be substituted.

The source 104 and drain 106 can be formed using conventional dopantimplant processes and materials, and may include, for example,modifications such as stress inducing source/drain structures, raisedand/or recessed source/drains, asymmetrically doped, counter-doped orcrystal structure modified source/drains, or implant doping ofsource/drain extension regions according to HDD (highly doped drain)techniques. The extension regions 132 are generally formed within thesubstrate and facilitate absorption of some of the potential associatedwith the drain. Various other techniques to modify source/drainoperational characteristics can also be used, including source drainchannel extensions (tips), or halo implants that facilitate scaling thedevice channel length by creating localized dopant distributions nearthe source/drain (S/D) regions, where the distributions may extend underthe channel. In certain embodiments, heterogeneous dopant materials canbe used as compensation dopants to modify electrical characteristics.

The gate electrode 102 can be formed from conventional materials,including, but not limited to certain metals, metal alloys, metalnitrides and metal silicides, as well as laminates thereof andcomposites thereof. The gate electrode 102 may also be formed frompolysilicon, including, for example, highly doped polysilicon andpolysilicon-germanium alloy. Metals or metal alloys may include thosecontaining aluminum, titanium, tantalum, or nitrides thereof, includingtitanium containing compounds such as titanium nitride. Formation of thegate electrode 102 can include silicide methods, chemical vapordeposition methods and physical vapor deposition methods, such as, butnot limited to, evaporative methods and sputtering methods. Typically,the gate electrode 102 has an overall thickness from about 1 to about500 nanometers.

The gate dielectric 128 may include conventional dielectric materialssuch as oxides, nitrides and oxynitrides. Alternatively, the gatedielectric 128 may include generally higher dielectric constantdielectric materials including, but not limited to hafnium oxides,hafnium silicates, zirconium oxides, lanthanum oxides, titanium oxides,barium-strontium-titanates and lead-zirconate-titanates, metal baseddielectric materials, and other materials having dielectric properties.Preferred hafnium-containing oxides include HfO₂, HfZrO_(x), HfSiO_(x),HfriO_(x), HfAlO_(x), and the like. Depending on composition andavailable deposition processing equipment, the gate dielectric 128 maybe formed by such methods as thermal or plasma oxidation, nitridationmethods, chemical vapor deposition methods (including atomic layerdeposition methods) and physical vapor deposition methods. In someembodiments, multiple or composite layers, laminates, and compositionalmixtures of dielectric materials can be used. For example, a gatedielectric can be formed from a SiO₂-based insulator having a thicknessbetween about 0.3 and 1 nm and the hafnium oxide based insulator havinga thickness between 0.5 and 4 nm. Typically, the gate dielectric has anoverall thickness from about 0.5 to about 5 nanometers.

Below the gate dielectric 128, the channel region 110 is formed abovescreening layer 112. The channel region 110 contacts and extendsbetween, the source 104 and the drain 106. Preferably, the channelregion includes substantially undoped silicon, or advanced materialssuch as those from the SiGe family, or silicon doped to very low levels.Channel thickness can typically range from 5 to 50 nanometers.

The discussion immediately below will focus on bulk CMOS devices. Inmany nanoscale bulk CMOS FET devices, carrier mobility is adverselyaffected by high concentrations of the channel dopant required to setthe threshold voltage, V_(T). While high dopant concentration levels mayprevent significant power leakage, when dopants are present in highconcentrations they may act as scattering centers that greatly reducechannel mobility of mobile carriers such as electrons. In such a case,the electrons in the channel region are scattered, and do notefficiently move through the channel between a source and drain.Effectively, this limits the maximum amount of current (I_(dsat)) thechannel can carry. In addition, the very thin gate and resultant highelectric fields at the gate dielectric/channel interface may lead tosevere quantum mechanical effects that reduce inversion layer chargedensity at a given gate voltage, which is associated with a decrease inthe mobility and an increase in the magnitude of the threshold voltageV_(T), again degrading device performance. Due to these characteristics,conventional scaling of bulk CMOS devices to the desired smaller size isperceived as increasingly difficult.

As an additional benefit, the use of a substantially undoped channelregion can enhance the effectiveness of certain conventional techniquesoften used to improve transistor performance. For example, the source104 and drain 106 positioned on opposing sides of the channel region 110can be structured to modify stress applied in the channel region.Alternatively, the channel region can be modified by lattice matched andstrained silicon germanium (SiGe) crystalline thin film lattice placedto cause a compressive strain in an in-plane direction of the channel.This can cause changes in band structure such that hole mobilityincreases as compared with intrinsic Si. Stress conditions can bemodified by changing germanium (Ge) composition (higher Ge increasesstrain and the hole mobility becomes higher). For tensile strain,channel region Si can be formed on lattice-relaxed SiGe having a greaterlattice constant. This results in both the electron mobility and thehole mobility increasing as compared with unstrained Si channel regions.Again, as germanium composition of the base SiGe is increased, theamount of the strain in the strained Si channel region and the carriermobilities tend to increase. As will be understood, continuous stresslayers are not required for application of stress to the channelregions, with non-contiguous or multiple separated stress layers beingusable to apply a compressive or tensile force to various locationsalong the channel regions, including stress layers above, below,laterally arranged, or abutting, effectively allowing greater controlover the applied stress.

In certain embodiments, stress layers may represent a layer of anymaterial suitable to apply a stress to the channel region when appliedadjacent to or abutting the channel. As one example, in particularembodiments, a stress layer may include a material that has a differentthermal expansion rate than some or all of the remainder ofsemiconductor substrate. During fabrication of such embodiments, as thetemperature of semiconductor substrate is reduced, certain portionsdifferentially shrink, causing stretching or compressing of the channelregion. As a result, at least a portion of the channel region may becomestrained, improving carrier mobility. In particular embodiments, astress layer may include a material such as silicon nitride that has agreater thermal expansion coefficient than some or all of thesemiconductor substrate. Additionally, or alternatively, differentstress layers may be applied to various portions of the FET 100 toselectively improve the mobility of either holes or electrons in thechannel region. For example, in particular embodiments, wherecomplementary n-type and p-type transistor pairs are isolated from oneanother via appropriate p-type and n-type well structures a stress layermay be applied to the n-type transistor to apply a tensile stress to thechannel region of the n-type transistor. This tensile stress may inducea strain in the channel region that improves the mobility of electronsthrough the channel region. Another stress layer may be applied to thep-type transistor to apply a compressive stress to the channel region ofthe p-type transistor. This compressive stress may induce a strain inthe p-type channel region that improves the mobility of holes.

Provision of a transistor having a substantially undoped channel bringsother advantages when stress is applied. For example, stress may beapplied by compressive or tensile stress applied via the source/drain orchannel stress techniques. As compared to conventional nanoscaletransistors with uniformly or highly doped channels, a strained channelregion FET transistor will provide a larger strain enhanced mobility dueto the low concentrations of dopants near the gate dielectric (reducedionized impurity scattering) and the lower electric field (reducedsurface roughness scattering). Due to the reduced scattering, stressenhanced mobility will be significantly larger than in a conventionaldevice. This mobility advantage attributable to strain will actuallyincrease with downward size scaling of the transistor.

FIG. 2A is a diagrammatic view of transistor configured according to oneembodiment showing a screening region 112 and channel 110. FIG. 2Bgenerally illustrates relative dopant concentrations between a depletedchannel and a screening region. FIGS. 2C and 2D show diagrammatic viewsfurther illustrating two different examples of a DDC transistor channelthat may be interchanged with the channel 110 and screening region 112of FIG. 2A. Other regions and layers may be possible, and those skilledin the art will understand that other variations on regions, layers,different dopant concentrations and other concentrations and geometriesare possible given the general structures illustrated and describedherein. The different regions may include a deeply depleted region inthe channel that would be located near the gate dielectric (such as thedielectric 128 shown in FIG. 2A), a threshold voltage tuning region, anda highly doped screening region. FIG. 2B illustrates one example of across section of a DDC transistor channel located next to a gatedielectric and having two regions with different dopant concentrations,a channel region 110 and screening region 112. The profile of thischannel cross-section includes a depleted region 202 located between agate dielectric (not shown) and screening region 204. Dopant atoms 206are illustrated, with dopant density in the screening region 204corresponding to relative dopant atom density in the depleted channelregion 202 compared to the screening region 204.

FIG. 2C shows another example of a channel region 208, this one havingthree regions of different doping concentrations. In this example, thedepleted dopant channel region 214 has the least amount of dopants 206,the threshold tuning region 212 generally having a higher concentrationof dopant atoms than the depleted dopant channel region 214, and thescreening region 210 having the highest concentration of dopant atoms.

FIG. 2D shows still yet another variation, where the channelcross-section has an increasing dopant atom concentration 224 from thetop channel region to the bottom. In different applications andembodiments, the dopant range in the top of the channel can vary, butwill typically be as low toward the top of the channel as process andanneal conditions permit. The dopant range toward the center of thechannel can increase up and through the bottom of the channel toprogress into a screening region with a higher concentration of dopants.

In either of these configurations, the threshold voltage tuning regioncan be formed as a separate epitaxially grown silicon layer, or formedas part of a single silicon epitaxial layer that also includes adepleted channel region. The threshold tuning region thickness cantypically range from 5 to 50 nanometers in thickness. When substantiallyundoped, appropriate selection of the thickness of the region itselfslightly adjusts threshold voltage, while for more typical applicationsthe threshold voltage tuning region is doped to have averageconcentrations ranging from between 5×10¹⁷ and 2×10¹⁹ atoms/cm³. Incertain embodiments, dopant migration resistant layers of carbon,germanium, or the like can be applied above and/or below the thresholdvoltage tuning region to prevent dopant migration into the channelregion, or alternatively, from the screening region into the thresholdvoltage tuning region.

The screening region is a highly doped region buried under the channelregion and threshold voltage tuning region, if provided. The screeninglayer is generally positioned at a distance to avoid direct contact withthe source and the drain. In certain other embodiments, it may be formedas a sheet extending under multiple source/drain/channel regions, whilein other embodiments it may be a self-aligned implant or layercoextensive with the channel region. The screening region thickness cantypically range from 5 to 50 nanometers. The screening region is highlydoped relative to the channel, the threshold voltage tuning region (ifprovided), and the P-well. In practice, the screening region is doped tohave a concentration between 1×10¹⁸ and 1×10²⁰ atoms/cm³. In certainembodiments, dopant migration resistant layers of carbon, germanium, orthe like can be applied above screening region to prevent dopantmigration into the threshold voltage tuning region.

In operation, when a predetermined voltage greater than the thresholdvoltage is applied to the conductive gate, a deeply depleted region isformed between the gate stack and the screening region. Below theconductive gate the deeply depleted region typically extends downwardinto the screening region, although in certain highly doped embodimentsthe deeply depleted region may terminate in the threshold voltage tuningregion, if provided. As will be appreciated, the exact depth below theconductive gate of the depletion region is determined by a number offactors that can be adjusted by design of the FET. For example, thedepletion region depth may be determined by spatial positioning andabsolute or relative dopant concentration of other elements of the FET.For instance, the FET may have a channel defined between a source regionand a drain region and below a gate having a gate length L_(G). DDCdepth (X_(d)) may be set to be larger than half of the gate length,possibly by a factor of half of the gate length, or fractionsthereabout. In one example, this DDC depth may be set at around or aboutequal to one-half the channel length, which in operation allows forprecise setting of the threshold voltage even at low operating voltagesbelow one volt. Depending on the requirements of a particularapplication, different depths may provide different beneficial results.Given this disclosure, it will be understood that different DDC depthsare possible in different applications, different device geometries, andvarious parameters of particular designs. Depending on the parameters ofa particular application, different region thicknesses, dopantconcentrations, and operating conditions used in forming the DDCtransistor may provide different beneficial results.

For example, according to another embodiment, the depletion depth can bemaintained from ⅓ the gate length to a depth about equal to the gatelength. However, as those skilled in the art will appreciate, ifstructure and operation of the transistor are such that the depletiondepth becomes smaller than one-half the gate length, the performance ofthe device in terms of power consumption will degrade gradually, and thebenefits of the DDC will diminish. The device can still achieve modestimprovement over the conventional device when the depletion depth, X_(d)is between ⅓ and ½ the gate length, such as, for example, a DDCtransistor having a depletion depth below the gate set to beapproximately 0.4×L_(G). In this example, a suitable thickness range forthe screening region is between 5 to 50 nm with a dopant concentrationranging from 1×10¹⁸ to 1×10²⁰ atoms/cm³. A suitable thickness range forthe threshold voltage tuning region is between 5 to 50 nm with a dopantconcentration ranging from 5×10¹⁷ to 2×10¹⁹ atoms/cm³. The undopedchannel region is chosen to be deep enough to meet the constraint ofX_(d)>½×L_(G) and has a concentration less than 5×10¹⁷ atoms/cm³.

In effect, providing a deeply depleted region for a DDC transistor canallow for significantly tightening the tolerances for setting thethreshold voltages in a circuit with multiple transistors and relateddevices, and can further reduce the variation due to RDF. The result isa more predictable and reliable threshold voltage that can be set acrossmultiple devices in an integrated circuit. This benefit can be used toreduce power in a device or system, and can lead to better overallperformance.

One other benefit potentially enabled by this embodiment is anadjustable threshold voltage, which can be statically set or varieddynamically during the operation of a device or system configured withone or more of the described transistor structures. Also illustrated inFIG. 2A, a bias voltage can be applied across the transistor source 104and to an oppositely charged dopant material 126 connected to P-well114. Conventional circuits are typically biased to a supply voltage, sothat current can flow from the source to the drain when an operatingvoltage is applied to the gate. While the use of adjustable body biasingto dynamically set threshold voltage has been proposed previously, ithas generally not proven practical because it tends to inducesignificant chip area penalties, thus inhibiting the level of on-chipintegration. According to this embodiment, a circuit may be configuredto vary the threshold voltage of a transistor (or group of transistorsif they share a common well) by changing the bias voltage applied to thewell, whether they are configured within one integrated circuit orsystem or in separate circuits. As described in further detail below,the ability to reliably control the threshold voltage within a closerange, together with the ability to reliably and dynamically vary thethreshold voltage during operation with reduced chip area penalty, leadsto a device or system that can dynamically change the operating modes ofa transistor or group of transistors within a device or system.

FIG. 3 shows a graph 300 of dopant atom concentration versus channeldepth below a gate dielectric to illustrate a range of dopantconcentrations for various ranges of depths in a channel according oneembodiment. There are two curves shown, a more practical curve 308, andalso an ideal curve 310. As can be seen, there are three levelsrepresented: the channel region in the first 5-20 nm, the thresholdvoltage tuning region in the next 5-20 nanometers from the channelregion, and the screening region in the next 5-20 nanometers from thethreshold voltage tuning region. The concentrations at the differentlevels each reach a certain level 312, 314, 316, possibly but notnecessarily an inflection point in the graph at their respectiveconcentration level, and these correspond to certain dopantconcentration levels 302 with the channel dopant concentration “d” atless than 5×10¹⁷, 304 with the threshold voltage tuning regionconcentration “d” between 5×10¹⁷ and 5×10¹⁸, and 306 with the screeningregion dopant concentration greater than 5×10¹⁸ atoms/cm³. According tosome embodiments, within these dopant concentration ranges, certainoptimal benefits in a nanoscale FET supporting operation of a deeplydepleted region can be realized.

A dopant profile according to various embodiments is defined such thatthree regions occur. The three regions are defined in Table 1, withRegion 1 corresponding to the channel region located near a gatedielectric, Region 2 corresponding to the threshold voltage tuningregion, and Region 3 corresponding to the screening layer, and whereL_(G) is the gate length. As will be understood, gate length issubstantially equal to the channel length, and t₁, t₂ and T₃ are therespective thicknesses of the three regions. Each of these regions canbe expressed via a representative thickness and a dopant dose measuredas numbers of atoms per cubic centimeter. The values of these thicknessand doses are given in Table 1.

TABLE 1 Region 1 Region 2 Region 3 Dose Range Dose < 5 × 10¹⁷ 5 × 10 <Dose < 2 × 10¹⁹ Dose > 2 × 10¹⁸ Layer Thick- ness$\frac{t_{1}}{L_{G}} \leq \frac{1}{2}$ $\frac{t_{2}}{L_{G}} \leq 1$$\frac{t_{3}}{L_{G}} \geq \frac{1}{10}$

TABLE 2 Node (nm) 90 65 45 32 22 15 L_(G) (nm) 60 50 40 35 30 25 ChannelRegion Max Thickness −t₁ (nm) 30 25 20 18 15 13 V_(T) Turning Region MaxThickness −t₂ (nm) 60 50 40 35 30 25 Screening Region Min Thickness −t₃(nm) 60 50 40 35 30 25

The layer thicknesses are process node dependent, with their respectivethicknesses t₁, t₂ and t₃ being related to the gate length (L_(G)) ofthe device and process node of interest. Table 2 contains representativenumbers for 90 nm to 15 nm process nodes illustrating the effect ofscaling L_(G) on the thickness requirements of the regions.

FIG. 4 is a graph 400 of variations in different boron dopant atoms/cm³according to device depth in an example implementation. In this example,the dopant concentration is lowest (less than 1×10¹⁷) at the low dopantregion near the transistor gate at depths from zero to approximately 20nanometers (nm), and is a bit higher at the threshold voltage tuningregion (approximately 5×10¹⁸) from approximately 20 nm to 45 nm. Thisexample peaks out even higher (approximately 5×10¹⁹) at the screeningregion from approximately 45 nm to 75 nm. This particular example showsthree different simulated devices that are shown as superimposed graphsdone with different processes. One uses a 15 second anneal at 975° C.,one uses a 15 second anneal at 800° C., and the third uses no anneal atall. The graph results are substantially similar, illustrating thereliability of the dopant concentrations in the different processenvironments. Those skilled in the art will understand that differentdesign parameters and applications may call for different variations ornumbers of regions having different doping concentrations.

In practice, designers and manufacturers gather statistical data frommathematical models and sample measurements from actual circuits todetermine the variance of threshold voltages of a circuit design. Thevoltage differential mismatch between transistors, whether derived frommanufacturing variations or RDFs, is determined as σV_(T). One suchexample of a statistical rendering of different threshold voltages fromvarious devices plotted against supply voltages is illustrated in FIG. 5. In order for the circuit as a whole to operate, the operating voltageV_(DD) must be chosen in view of σV_(T). Generally the larger thevariance, the higher the σV_(T), such that the operating voltage V_(DD)must be set higher for the transistor to operate properly. With multipledevice implemented across a circuit, V_(DD) may need to be set at thehighest overall value in order for the circuit to operate properly.

A structure and method of its production are provided that reducesσV_(T), reducing the range of variance of the threshold voltage of thetransistors across the integrated circuit. With reduced σV_(T), thestatic value of V_(T) can be set more precisely and can even be variedin response to a changing bias voltage. One example of improved σV_(T)according to one embodiment is reflected in FIG. 6 , showing an improvedrange of threshold voltage renderings evidenced by a lower variance inthe threshold voltages taken from different devices. The thresholdvoltage for nominally identical devices across a circuit may be moreaccurately set with decreased σV_(T), thus allowing the device tooperate using a lower operating voltage V_(DD) and, therefore, consumeless power. Moreover, with more headroom to vary V_(T) for a giventransistor or group of transistors, devices can be operated at differentmodes corresponding to different bias voltages for particular modes.This may add functionality to many devices and systems and mayparticularly benefit devices where fine control of device power modes isuseful.

FIG. 7A shows an example of a transistor 700 made according toconventional processes and structures. This example is illustrated as anN-type FET, having a source 702, a drain 704 and a gate stack includingconductive gate 706 and insulating layer 708. Typically, the gate 706 isformed from highly doped polysilicon and the insulating layer is formedof a gate dielectric such as silicon oxide. The gate stack 706electrically controls current flow between the source 702 and the drain704. Channel 710 typically contains dopants and extends down to theP-well 712, and may wrap around both the source and the drain. Thechannel depth X_(d) 714 is the distance from the gate dielectric 708down to the bottom of the channel 720. In operation, there are multipleelectric field lines such as E 716 that extend down this channel depth714 and bend toward the source 702 and drain 704. These field lines aretypically not straight as shown in the FIGURE, but can bend as a resultof the device construction and operation. Mobile carriers such aselectrons e⁻ 718 travel between the source 702 and drain 704 throughelectric fields E 716. Gate spacers 724 and SDEs 722 are alsoillustrated.

In contrast, FIG. 7B shows an embodiment of a DDC transistor 700′ thatoperates with a significantly deeper depletion region as compared to theconventional device 700 of FIG. 7A. This provides the features andbenefits of improved mobility without the use of stress inducing layers,and improved threshold voltage setting. This example is illustrated asan N-type FET, having a source 702′, a drain 704′ and a gate 706′. Thetransistor includes a gate 706′ formed on gate dielectric 708′ that,when gate to source voltage is biased to greater than a thresholdvoltage, creates a depletion region 710′, and controls current flowbetween the source 702′ and drain 704′. Depletion region 710′ extendsdown to the screening layer 720′ implanted as a layer in P-well 712′,and may wrap around both the source 702′ and the drain 704′ as seen inthe FIGURE. Gate spacers 724′ 720′ and SDEs 722′ are also illustrated.The depletion depth X_(d)′ 714′ is the distance from the gate dielectricdown to screening region 720′, and is significantly deeper than thedepletion region of the conventional device of FIG. 7A. Unlike theconventional device of FIG. 7A, the screening region 720′ in device 700′provides a heavily doped termination for the electric fields such as E716′ that extend down to the screening layer. Given the deeper depletionX_(d)′ 714′, these field lines are generally longer and straighter thanthose electric fields E 716 in the conventional structure 700. Similarto the conventional device, when biased, current flows from the drain704′ to source 702′, and electrons e⁻ 718′ travel between the source702′ to drain 704′ through electric fields E 716′. In contrast toconventional devices, however, the electrons flow more freely in acrossthese electric fields E 716′, providing improved current flow and betterperformance. Also, this construction improves σV_(T) by reducing theshort channel effects, reducing the variations caused by random dopantfluctuation.

Referring to FIG. 8A, a FET 800 is shown that corresponds to theconventional structure illustrated in FIG. 7A. Leakage occurs at variouslocations throughout the transistor structure, resulting in power losseven when the FET is not actively switching. FIG. 8A particularlyillustrates the concept of leakage that occurs between the source 702and the well 712. As positive ions 802 reside in the well 712, they tendto migrate to holes 804 via leakage path X_(j) 806. With a relativelyshort path 806, leakage is prevalent in conventional nanoscale devices.

FIG. 8B shows a FET 800′ that operates with a deep depletion regionsimilar to that illustrated in FIG. 7B, and further illustrates theconcept of leakage that occurs between the source 702′ and the well712′. Positive ions 802′ reside in the well 712′. However, with thenovel construction having a deeper well, the path X_(j) 806′ issignificantly longer, and they tend to migrate less to holes 804′ vialeakage path X_(j)″ 806′. With a relatively longer path 806′, leakage isless prevalent here compared to conventional devices. Also, given thelow electric field E 716′ in the novel structure, and also leakage atthe gate 706′ and insulator 708′, the ability to excite electrons isgreatly reduced. The result is substantial reduction in leakage at thegate. Thus, the novel structure with a DDC provides significantreductions in leakage that occur in many locations of conventionaldevices.

DDC transistors also preferably offer improved carrier mobility, afeature of great interest in the industry. Mobility is a quantitativemeasure of the ability of mobile carriers to move from a source to adrain across a transistor's channel when a voltage greater than thethreshold voltage V_(T) is applied to the gate. One goal of an optimizeddevice is to have electrons or mobile carriers move with minimalhindrance from source to drain, typically in accordance with arelationship between the gate applied electric field and the measuredmobility known as a universal mobility curve. This universal mobilitycurve is a well-established relationship seen in MOSFET devices betweencarrier mobility in an inversion region of a channel and an electricfield that induces that inversion region (or inversion charge). FIG. 9shows this universal curve for NMOS transistors (solid line), although asimilar curve exists for PMOS. In this FIGURE, the universal mobilitycurve for an undoped channel is plotted. Region A corresponds to themobility/electric field operational regime of typical current state ofthe art MOSFET transistors and illustrates that these devices operate inthe high-power region at a degraded mobility with respect to mobility inlow electric field/low power regions.

A second mobility curve (dashed line) is appropriate for nanoscale gatelength transistors having highly doped channels (often necessary tocompensate for scaling effects) and a proportionally scaled downwardgate voltage and consequent lower electric fields. These curves canmatch at operating conditions supporting high electric fields in thechannel, because mobility is dominated by surface roughness associatedwith an interface between a gate dielectric and channel silicon. Whenoperating a transistor at lower gate voltages (and consequent lowerelectric fields) these two curves diverge due to the presence of dopantatoms and the dominance of channel dopant scattering (commonly calledionized impurity scattering) that act to decrease electron mobility.This can be seen as region C. While low power devices operating withelectric fields falling within region C can be constructed, the requiredhigh channel doping results in a degradation of mobility due to dopantscattering in the area marked as region A in FIG. 9 .

The operation point of a DDC transistor lies along the universalmobility curve as seen as region B in FIG. 9 . DDC transistors not onlyoperate in the low power regime with low electric fields, but can alsobenefit from being a deeply depleted device with substantially lowdopant scattering to lower its mobility. A DDC transistor is therefore,in some preferred embodiments, able to achieve up to a 120% mobilityenhancement over conventional high power devices.

With these novel structures and methods for creating them, circuits cannow be produced and configured with the ability to change V_(T)dynamically. The structures are preferably configured with a smallσV_(T) compared to conventional devices, giving the devices the abilityto have not only a lower nominal threshold voltage V_(T), and loweroperating voltage V_(DD), but also a precisely adjustable V_(T) that canbe varied in response to the bias voltage. In operation, a bias voltagecan be placed across a transistor that operates to raise and lower thedevice's V_(T). This enables a circuit to statically specify and/ordynamically change modes of operation in an efficient and reliablemanner, particularly if the operating voltage V_(DD) is also dynamicallycontrolled. Still further, the adjustment of V_(T) can be done on one ormore transistors, groups of transistors, and different sections orregions of a circuit. This breakthrough enables designers to use generictransistors that can be adjusted to serve different functions in acircuit. Additionally, there are many circuit- and system-levelinnovations that result from the features and benefits of theseintegrated circuit structures.

In one embodiment, a semiconductor structure is provided with a DDChaving a DDC depth, where a channel is formed between a source regionand a drain region. In one example, the DDC depth is at least half aslarge as the channel length of the device. These structures can operateat lower voltages than conventional devices and are not as limited byeffects of RDFs in a device channel. The novel structure can also befabricated using conventional bulk CMOS processing tools and processsteps.

According to one embodiment a channel region of a transistor can beconfigured with a plurality of regions having different dopantconcentrations. In one example, a DDC transistor is constructed suchthat three distinct regions exist below the gate. From the gatedielectric proceeding deeper into the substrate, these regions include achannel, a threshold voltage adjust region and a screening regions. Itwill be appreciated by those skilled in the art that differentcombinations or permutations of these regions may exist.

The channel region is the region where the minority carriers travel fromthe source to the drain during the operation of the integrated circuit.This constitutes the current flowing through the device. The amount ofdopant in this region affects the mobility of the device via impurityscattering. Lower dopant concentration results in higher mobility.Additionally, RDFs also decrease as the dopant concentration decreases.This undoped (low-doped) channel region can allow the DDC transistor toachieve both high-mobility and low RDFs.

The threshold voltage adjust or tuning region allows for complementarydopants, such as an N-type dopant in PMOS and a P-type dopant in NMOS,to be introduced below the channel regions. The introduction of thisV_(T)-adjust region, coupled to its proximity to the channel region andthe level of dopants, preferably allows the threshold voltage tuningregion to alter the depletion region within the channel without directlydoping the channel. This depletion control allows the V_(T) of thedevice to be altered to achieve the desired result. Additionally, theV_(T)-adjust region can aid in preventing sub-channel punch-through andleakage. In some embodiments this provides improved short channeleffects, DIBL and sub-threshold slopes.

In conventional processes, others have addressed different performancemetrics of a transistor by changing particular structures andconcentrations. For example, gate metal alloys or polysilicons may beused to adjust the doping concentration to improve short channel effectsor other parameters. The gate dielectric located under the gate andabove the channel may also be adjusted. Other processes also exist thatcan set the dopant concentrations in or around the channel of atransistor. Unlike these prior attempts to improve short channel effectsand other parameters of a device, some of the embodiments describedherein not only improve more parameters of a device, they can alsoimprove the accuracy and reliability in setting the threshold voltagefor a device. Still further, in some implementations the improveddevices can also enable the dynamic control of the threshold voltage ofa device for enhanced performance, and also for providing new featuresand operations of a device or system when employed.

In one embodiment, a transistor device is provided with a monotonicallyincreasing dopant concentration from the top of the channel near thegate and down into the channel. In one example, there is a linearincrease in dopants proceeding from the gate dielectric. This may beaccomplished by forming a screening region at a distance from the gate,and having a depleted region between the screening region and the gate.This depleted region may take on different forms, including one or moreregions of different dopant concentrations. These regions addressdifferent improvements in transistor devices, including improving thereliability of setting a particular threshold voltage, improvingmobility in the transistor channel, and enabling the dynamic adjustmentof the threshold voltage to improve and expand different operating modesof a device. These dopant concentrations may be expressed in a graph ofconcentrations, such as that illustrated in FIG. 4 and described abovewith respect to the depth of the channel of a device, beginning with thetop of the structure near the gate and through the different layers downthrough the screening layer.

The depleted channel region provides an area for electrons to freelymove form a source to a drain of a transistor, thus improving mobilityand overall performance. The threshold voltage tuning region is used inconjunction with the screening region to set the nominal intrinsicthreshold voltage of the device. The screening region is a highly dopedregion which increases the body coefficient of the FET device. Thehigher body coefficient allows the body bias to have a larger effect indynamically changing the threshold voltage of the FET. These threeregions can be used in unison to achieve multiple specialized devices.Multiple combinations of two or three of the regions can be used toachieve various design benefits. For example, all the regions can beused with poly, band edge metal, and off-band edge metal gates toachieve a low power device with various intrinsic V_(T) values (achievedby threshold voltage adjust doping) and dynamic modes of operations (viabody effect).

The channel and screening regions can be used in conjunction with offband edge metal gate stacks to achieve ultra-low power devices (wherethe off band edge metal serves to increase the threshold voltage withoutthe aid of the threshold voltage adjust region). The channel andscreening regions can alternatively be used in conjunction with dualwork function metal gate stacks to achieve ultra-low power devices. Inaddition, the formation of these regions can be achieved in multipleways. In some implementations, a single epitaxial flow can be used,whereby in-situ doping controlled and modulated during growth achievesthe desired profile without additional implants, and where multipleimplants followed by an undoped epitaxial region can be used to achievethe profile. Alternatively, a dual epitaxial flow with implants similarto the desired concentrations can be used. Or, a multiple epitaxial-flowconsisting of any number of combinations of epitaxial and implants canbe used to achieve the desired profile. Such variations would not,however, depart from the spirit and scope of the claims appended hereto.

In another example of a device, in addition to the DDC region formed ona substrate, an oxide region or other gate insulator may be formed onthe top of the substrate over the channel region. The device may includea metal gate region formed on the oxide region. The resulting device inthis example is a transistor that has dynamically controllable thresholdvoltage, while still being insensitive to RDF in the channel region. Inthis example, in operation the DDC region has a very low σV_(T), whilethe low V_(DD) keeps leakage in deep depletion regions low. In addition,an implant may be provided to enable legacy devices requiring transistoroperation at one volt or above.

In the examples below, various device configurations, systemsincorporating such devices, and methods of making such devices andsystems are discussed and further illustrated in the FIGUREs. Theseexamples are illustrated in a diagrammatic manner that is wellunderstood by those skilled in the art of such devices, systems, and themethods of making them. These examples describe and illustrate detailsof the devices along with discussion of the feasibility and possibleoperation characteristics and performance of the underlying systems.

Further comparisons to conventional structures are illustrated in FIGS.10 and 11 . FIG. 10 illustrates an example comparison between thethreshold voltage and body bias of a DDC transistor having low dopedchannel (about 1×10¹⁷ atoms/cm³) versus a similar sized conventionaltransistor having uniformly doped channel that does not have a screeningregion. As can be seen, even though a DDC transistor does not havesignificant channel dopants that are ordinarily required for a strongbody coefficient, the threshold voltage modulation by body bias in a DDCis still comparable to a uniformly doped channel MOS.

Thus, in particular embodiments DDC structures can provide comparablebenefits in a short channel device that is currently only realized inlong channel devices, which are not practical replacements for shortchannel devices. Referring to FIG. 11 , a comparison of σV_(T) versusbody bias voltage is shown for a uniform channel MOS device compared toan example of a DDC device. Significant degradation is evident for thethreshold voltage of the short channel devices versus long channeldevices. In this DDC device, there is significantly less degradation ofthreshold voltage with increased body bias voltage. This reduction isfacilitated by the highly doped screening region that greatly reducesshort channel effects.

As discussed in the background, certain transistors can be formed tohave a channel layer doped according to a Super Steep Retrogradient Well(SSRW) profile. This technique uses a special doping profile to form aheavily doped region beneath a lightly doped channel. Referring to FIG.12 , a comparison between the profile of an example of a DDC structureand a conventional SSRW is shown. As can be seen, the SSRW has a veryhigh dopant concentration adjacent to the channel, near the transistorgate dielectric that defines the top of the channel (not shown). Suchhigh doping concentrations located near the channel and gate dielectrictypically results in poor leakage performance in conventional devices,and there are severe difficulties in scaling this approach to nanoscalegate length transistors. Thus, it generally does not provide an adequatecommercial solution to the overall need to reduce power and improveperformance in electronic devices. Embodiments of DDC transistors caninclude a channel that is deeply depleted, and also a screening layerthat is heavily doped and separated from the channel. Such structurescan provide notable improvements to circuit performance, and can besimpler to produce than circuits implementing SSRW.

Many conventional CMOS fabrication processes can be used to fabricateDDC transistors. FIG. 13 is a diagrammatic view of a comparison 1300 ofconventional CMOS processes (CMOS) for fabricating conventional deviceswith that of structures configured according to the embodimentsdisclosed herein. In one embodiment of a novel CMOS device, processingsteps related to shallow trench isolation (ST!) 1302, 1302A, well andchannel implants 1304, 1304A, contact 1308, 1308A, and metalinterconnect 1310, 1310A can be standard. Only the conventional CMOSGate Stack process 1306 differs from the gate stack of the improvedstructure 1306A. This offers significant advantages for introducing thenovel CMOS structures, such as the DDC devices for example. Primarily,this avoids the requirement of developing risky or costly new processingsteps for fabricating a new device. Therefore, the existingmanufacturing processes and associated IP libraries can be reused,saving cost and allowing a manufacturer to bring such a novel andadvanced device to market faster.

DDC transistor process according to the example in FIG. 13 will createan undoped epitaxial silicon region on top of highly doped N-type andP-type regions to create a DDC doping profile. The undoped epitaxialsilicon region thickness can, in some implementations, be a significantfactor in device performance. In another example, dual epitaxial siliconregions are used for providing a final gate stack with high, medium andlow doping (or no doping). Alternatively one epitaxial silicon regionfor a final stack with one high doping region near the substrate levelcan be grown, followed by medium to low doping of epitaxially grownlayer between the gate and the high doped screening region. To preventdopant migration or diffusion between layers, in some implementationsvarious dopant migration resistant techniques or layers can be employed.For example, in P-type epitaxial silicon, Boron (B) diffusion can bereduced using carbon doping. However, in N-type epitaxial silicon, thecarbon may have a negative impact on As doping. The carbon could belocated throughout the silicon epitaxy or confined to a thin region ateach interface. It may be possible to use in situ doped carbon orimplanted carbon. If in situ doped carbon is used, carbon may be presentin both N-type and P-type. If carbon is implanted, in some embodimentsit can be used in P-type only.

DDC transistors can be formed using available bulk CMOS processingtechnology, including techniques for depositing dopant migrationresistant layers, advanced epitaxial layer growth, ALD, or advanced CVDand PVD, or annealing that are all available on advanced integratedcircuit process node technologies, such as those at 65 nm, 45 nm, 32 nm,and 22 nm. While these process nodes generally have a low thermal budgetfor STI isolation, gate processing, and anneals they are still suitablefor formation of DDC transistors.

FIGS. 14A through 14I show a process flow for fabricating a devicehaving a channel with a DDC doping profile. These FIGUREs illustrate anexample of a fabrication of two devices to show how an NMOS and a PMOStransistor can each be configured with a DDC and a screening region toprovide the advanced features and operations of a novel DDC transistorand device. The structures in each step are shown in a progressivemanner to illustrate this sample process of forming the two transistordevices. Alternatively, other process flows may be used to fabricate theDDC device, and this particular process and related steps are shown forillustration. The process is described in terms of “regions” that areformed, deposited or otherwise made to create the transistor structure,but is intended to also include regions of different shapes, sizes,depths, widths and heights, and different forms or contours or aslayers.

First, referring to FIG. 14A, the structure 1400 begins with asubstrate, for example a P-type substrate 1406. An NMOS or a PMOS devicecan be created on the P-type substrate. For simplicity and fordescribing the possible embodiments and examples in these and otherFIGUREs, this example of the process flow of a DDC device is describedfor the example of an NMOS and a PMOS device together with shallow andpartial trench isolations to separate certain structures. Nevertheless,the corresponding flow associated with the other disclosed structures ordevices would be readily understood. Also, though not shown, theseprocesses can be carried out with various techniques known in the art,such as masking for use in forming structures side by side as differentregions and regions formed on top of each other.

An optional N-well implantation 1402 and a P-well implantation 1404 areformed on the p-substrate 1406. Then, a shallow P-well implantation 1408is formed over N-well 1402, and a shallow N-well implantation 1410 isformed over P-well 1404. These different regions may be formed by firstforming a pad oxide onto the P-substrate 1406, followed by a firstN-well implant of N-well 1402 using a photo resist. The P-well 1404 maybe implanted with another photo resist. The shallow N-well 1410 may beformed by implant together with another photo resist. The shallow P-well1408 may then be implanted together with another photo resist. Theprocess may then be followed by an anneal process.

Proceeding to FIG. 14B, the process continues where an NMOS RDFscreening region 1412 is formed on the shallow P-well 1408. According tothis embodiment, the NMOS RDF region 1412 is a screening region of highdopant concentration such as previously described for reducing RDF andproviding the many benefits of improved threshold voltage setting andreliability as well as enabling the dynamic adjustment of the thresholdvoltage of transistors. This screening region may be formed as an RDFscreening implant using another photo resist. A PMOS RDF screeningregion 1414 is formed over the shallow N-well 1410. This region may beformed as a PMOS RDF screening implant using another photo resist.

Referring next to FIG. 14C, after an initial oxide removal, an NMOSthreshold voltage tuning region 1416 is formed on the screening region1412 using a photo resist, where the method of epitaxial growth or othersimilar techniques may be used to deposit this threshold voltage tuningregion. Similarly, a PMOS threshold voltage tuning region 1418 is formedover the PMOS RDF screening region 1414 using photo resist. Undopedregions or low doped regions 1420, 1422 are then deposited on each ofthe threshold voltage tuning regions, which are doped over the NMOSV_(T) tuning region 1416 and PMOS V_(T) tuning region 1418. The methodof epitaxial growth or other similar techniques may be used to depositthese un-doped or low-doped regions. Through the above steps, a channelcomplying with DDC is formed. While two epitaxial regions are used inthese examples to create the desired DDC profile for each transistor, asingle epitaxial region may also be used on each to create a DDC deviceinstead.

The above process flow prepares the device by creating a channel forsubsequent processing to make two transistors or other more complicatedcircuitry. However, the following process flow discloses examples ofremaining steps for creating an n-channel and a p-channel transistor asillustrated in FIGS. 14D through 14E.

Referring to FIG. 14D, a shallow Trench Isolation (STI) process is thenapplied to form an STI transistor boundary 1424 by isolating thetransistors from neighboring transistors. Here the depth of each STI1424, 1426, and 1428 is set properly so that the STI will go into theP-well. As can be seen, the STI trenches extend below each of theshallow P-well 1408 and shallow N-well 1410. This allows for improvedisolation between transistors.

In addition, Partial Trench Isolation (PTI) 1430, 1434 may be optionallyapplied to create an area where a well tap can be connected. The depthof the PTIs 1430, 1434 are set so that the PTIs will go partially intothe shallow P-well. An insulator such as an oxide region 1438, 1442 isthen deposited in the area where a channel will be formed, as shown inFIG. 14E. Here, the silicon dioxide may be used as an insulator, butother types of insulators may also be used. Gate electrodes 1436, 1440are then attached to the respective gate insulators to enable the supplygate voltage during operation.

Referring to FIG. 14F, spacers 1446 are formed on the sides of each ofthe NMOS and PMOS gates and insulation regions forming source and drainextensions 1448, 1450. Optionally, NMOS and PMOS halo processes may beperformed on legacy mode devices, which are described below. Also, thebody contact areas 1444 and 1464 are subject to p+-type doping andn+-type doping respectively to create contact to the bodies of thetransistors. NMOS and PMOS transistors are then created once the sourceand drain regions are formed, and contacts can be provided to supply thenecessary voltage to the source region and the drain region to operatethe device. This is shown in FIG. 14G, where source and drain regions1454/1556 and 1458/1460 are formed respectively. Also shown in FIG. 14Gare the second spacers 1452 that define the boundaries of thesource/drains 1454/1456 and 1458/1460. Contacts and metals are thenformed using photo resists, enabling electrical contact with thedevices. Depending on where the process locates the source and drain,the electric fields can be greatly affected.

While certain steps of fabricating the DDC device are described above,other optional steps may be included to further improve the performanceof the device, or to otherwise comply with different applicationspecifications. For example, a technique known in the art assource/drain extension, as shown in FIG. 14G, can be applied to reduceleakage current. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art thatmany different region combinations are possible, and the regioncombinations can be rearranged and replaced with different regionsconsistent with the teachings herein.

The threshold voltage tuning region and screen region doping levels arelimited to a region between spacer edges under the channel. In onemethod, silicon is etched for outside spacers 1452 using a mask definedby spacers around respective gates 1436 and 1440 and hardmask on gate.The silicon depth that is etched is larger than the depth of screenregion. In this example, silicon is etched for both NMOS and PMOS in thesame or different steps. After the silicon etch, silicon 1466 is grownepitaxially to a level slightly higher than the gate dielectric as shownin FIG. 14H. The doping of the epitaxially grown silicon can be doneeither in situ or using a source/drain implant mask to form source/drainregions 1468, 1470, 1472 and 1474 as shown in FIG. 14I. First Gatedielectric 1438 and a second gate dielectric 1437 are layered. Layer1435 and 1436 are metal gate electrodes engineered with appropriate N+or P+ workfunction. In FIG. 14I, poly silicon is replaced with a MetalGate electrode that is integrated with the gate dielectric. To replacepoly with metal gate, two distinct metals with appropriate workfunctionare required. Workfunction metals of ˜4.2 and ˜5.2 eV are needed toadjust the NMOS and PMOS devices' V_(T) that are compatible with N+/P+doped poly that is traditionally used in CMOS processing. The spacers1452 around the gate and hardmask on gate makes self-alignedsource/drain regions. This results in lower source/drain to bodycapacitance. In another method, a compensation source/drain implant maybe performed. In this method, spacers around the gate and hardmask onthe gate allow the gate to self-align.

As will be appreciated, being able to efficiently operate a circuit inmultiple power modes is desirable. Also, being able to quickly andefficiently switch between different power modes can significantlyimprove the power saving capability and overall performance of atransistor, as well as chips made using such transistors, and alsosystems that implement such chips. With the ability to efficientlychange modes of operation, a device can deliver high performance whenneeded and conserve power by entering into sleep mode while inactive.According to one embodiment, the modes of individual sub-circuits andeven individual devices can be controlled dynamically. With the abilityto vary the threshold voltage of a device dynamically, the modes of adevice can also be varied dynamically.

Deeply depleted channel devices can have a wide range of nominalthreshold voltages and can be operated using a wide range of operatingvoltages. Some embodiments may be implemented within current standardbulk CMOS operating voltages from 1.0 volts to 1.1 volts, and may alsooperate at much lower operating voltages, such as 0.3 to 0.7V forexample. These provide circuit configurations for low power operation.Furthermore, DDC devices can be more responsive than conventionaldevices due to their strong body effect. In this respect, a strong bodyeffect can allow the devices to effect change in a circuit through asubstantially direct connection to other devices via a common sharedwell. In one example, a shared well may include a common P-well orN-well that underlies a group of devices. In operation, these devicesare able to change modes by modifying the settings of the respectivebody bias voltages and/or operating voltages of the device. This enablesthe switching of a single device or one or more groups of devices muchfaster and using less energy than conventional devices. Thus, dynamicchanges in modes can occur quickly, and systems can better manage powersavings and overall system performance.

Also, in some applications, backward compatibility to an existingenvironment may be required so that DDC based devices can operateseamlessly with conventional devices. For example, there may be a mix ofnew DDC-based devices and conventional devices running at an operatingvoltage of 1.1 volts. There may be a need to perform level shifting inorder to interface the DDC-based device with conventional devices. It isvery desirable for DDC-based devices to operate seamlessly with legacydevices.

The screen region provides a high body effect, which is leveraged forresponsive multimode switching in transistors. The response of atransistor having a screen region can vary within a wider range to achange in the body bias. More specifically, the high doping screeningregion can allow the device ON-current and OFF-current to change morewidely under various body biases and can thereby facilitate dynamic modeswitching. This is because the DDC devices can be configured with alower σV_(T) than conventional devices, a lower variance of a setthreshold voltage. Thus, the threshold voltage, V_(T), can be set atdifferent values. Even further, a device or group of devices can be bodybiased in order to change the threshold voltage, thus V_(T) itself canbe varied in response a changing body bias voltage. Thus, a lower σV_(T)provides a lower minimum operating voltage V_(DD) and a wider range ofavailable nominal intrinsic values of V_(T). The increased body effectallows for dynamic control of V_(T) within that wider range.

Furthermore, it can also desirable to configure the device to maximizeperformance if needed, even if such performance may result in anincrease in power consumption. In an alternative embodiment, it may bedesirable to place the device in a significantly low-power mode (Sleepmode) when the device is not in a high performance active operatingcondition. In utilizing DDC transistors in circuit, mode switching canbe provided with an adequately fast switching time so as not to affectthe overall system response time.

There are several different types of modes that may be desired in atransistor or group of transistors configured according the various DDCembodiments and examples illustrated and described herein. One mode isLow Power Mode, where the bias between body and source voltage, V_(BS),is zero. In this mode, the device operates with low operating voltageV_(DD) and lower active/passive power then non-DDC devices, but withequivalent performance as any conventional device. Another mode is Turbomode, where the bias voltage of the device, V_(BS), is forward biased.In this mode, the device operates with low Vcc and matched passive powerwith high performance. Another mode is Sleep mode, where the biasvoltage, V_(BS), is reverse biased. In this mode, the device operateswith low Vcc and substantially low passive power. In legacy mode, theprocess flow is modified to allow for non-DDC MOSFET devices to operatesubstantially the same as legacy devices.

While a DDC structured device provides great performance advantages overconventional devices, it can also enable enhanced dynamic mode switchingas a result of a strong body effect afforded by the screen region. Thebody tap allows for the application of a desired body bias applied tothe device to achieve a desired mode. This may be achieved with a DDChaving a low-doped channel and a screening region as discussed above, oralternatively with a DDC with multiple regions or layers havingdifferent dopant concentrations. When multi-mode switching is used for agroup of transistors such as memory blocks or logic blocks, individualtransistor control using conventional bulk CMOS techniques may beimpractical and may result in substantial overhead for the controlcircuit. Extra control circuitry would need to be implemented, extensivededicated wiring for controlling different devices or different groupsof devices, and all would significantly add to the overall cost of theintegrated circuit.

Therefore, it is desirable to develop sub-circuits or units that can beused to create one or more groups of transistors for dynamic modeswitching. Furthermore, it is also desirable to provide a solution thatmay offer the body bias control technique to legacy devices so that,standing alone or in a mixed environment, legacy devices may alsobenefit from dynamic control.

Additionally, the relatively high body effect of the transistor with ascreen region makes it suitable in certain embodiments for using thebody bias as a means for controlling the device for operating in variousmodes, whether statically by design or dynamically, while a conventionalbulk CMOS device may require physical design alterations.

A basic multi-mode device having a highly doped screen region and amechanism to apply a body bias voltage to the body is shown in FIG. 15 ,reproduced from FIG. 2A along with a corresponding table illustratingdifferent modes. As discussed in connection with FIG. 2A, a bias voltagemay be applied between the well tap and the source, V_(BS), to controlthe electrical fields of the device, including the field between thesource and the device body. FIG. 15 illustrates a sample structure of ann-channel 4-terminal MOSFET. Terminal 106 is designated as the Drain andterminal 104 is designated as Source. During operation, current flowsbetween these two terminals. Terminal 102 is called the gate electrode,and a voltage is often applied to this terminal to control the currentflow between Drain and Source. The terminal 126 provides connectivity tothe body of the transistor, which is the P-well 114 in this example. Thevoltage applied to the drain is the positive supply voltage, referred toas V_(DD), and the voltage applied to the Source terminal is the lowersupply voltage. The electrical fields affect the characteristics of thedevice. According to the various embodiments described herein, thedevice can be configured into multiple and distinct modes by properlyselecting a bias voltage V_(BS) and a supply voltage V_(DD).

In a conventional bulk CMOS device, the substrate is often connected tothe source to maintain the same source body voltage. Thus, the body biasis typically the same for all devices on a substrate. This is similar tothe condition in which the DDC device is used in the normallow-power/low-leakage mode as discussed above, wherein the normaloperating voltage is applied and zero bias voltage is applied, soV_(BS)=0. However, a multi-mode device configured according to variousembodiments described herein may provide an effective mode control meansin lieu of the body tap. This is particularly the case where the deviceincludes a heavily doped screen region at a distance from the gate asdescribed above. Unlike silicon-on-insulator based devices, which havelow body effect, DDC-based devices can be configured on bulk silicon toproduce a device having a high body effect. Thus, DDC configured devicescan utilize a varying body bias as a means to enable multi-modeoperations. A multi-mode transistor, as shown in the example of FIG. 15, can have an n-channel above a P-well. A P-plus type region is formedon the P-well. The body tap, not shown but discussed below, is coupledto the P-plus region to make conductive contact to the P-well, which isthe body of the n-channel device. Since the body tap is p-plus doped, aconnection to the body tap will enable connectivity to the P-well of thedevice (i.e., the body of the device). A body bias voltage may then beapplied between the source and the body tap, where the body bias voltagecan control the mode of operation of the n-channel device effectively.As in an n-channel device, the dynamic mode switch technique can beapplied to a p-channel device above an N-well, where an n-plus region isformed to accommodate the body tap. Furthermore, the novel structureswith the strong body bias described herein can be applied to CMOSdevices where both n-channel and p-channel devices exist on the samesubstrate or a well. Examples of such embodiments are illustrated anddescribed below.

The body bias voltage applied between the source and the body caneffectively alter the behavior of a CMOS device. For the aforementioneddevice having a body tap, the source-body voltage can be appliedindependent of the gate-source and drain-source voltages. One of theadvantages of using the body bias as a control means for multi-modecontrol is that the device can be connected as if it were a conventionaldevice, for example, where the gate-source voltage and the drain-sourcevoltage are configured the same way. In this case, the mode selectioncan be made in response to the body bias. Therefore, a device can beoperated normally at zero bias, which is the same as a conventionaldevice. When a higher performance mode (Turbo mode) is desired, aforward bias voltage may be applied between well tap and source, i.e.,V_(BS)>0. The operating voltage for the Turbo mode can be the same orslightly higher than that of the normal mode. On the other hand, when aSleep mode is desired, a reverse bias voltage may be applied betweenwell tap and source, i.e., V_(BS)<0. The operating voltage for Sleepmode can be the same or slightly lower than that of the normal mode.

When a zero body bias is applied, the multi-mode device is operated inthe normal low power mode. The body bias can be forward biased, apositive voltage applied, between the body and the source as shown inthe example of FIG. 15 , to increase the performance of the device. Thisforward bias mode is termed “turbo mode” for increased performance inthe form of high drive current. However, the performance boost comes atthe expense of increased leakage current. In a deep sleep mode, the bodyis reverse biased, where a negative voltage is applied between the bodyand the source as shown in the example of FIG. 15 , to reduce theleakage current. This mode is desired when the device is in an idle orinactive state.

FIG. 16 illustrates a comparison of threshold voltage V_(T) versus biasvoltage V_(BS) between an example of an n-channel DDC devices and aconventional n-channel device. The curve 1610 represents the DDC devicewhile the curve 1612 represents the conventional device. FIG. 16 showsthat the threshold voltage of DDC devices in some implementations ismuch more responsive to the bias voltage than a conventional device. DDCdevices can also offer a wide delay range responsive to the body bias.For a conventional device, the variation in threshold voltage fromdevice to device causes a wide spread in delay time as shown in FIG.17A. The bands 1702, 1704 and 1706 represent delay variations for biasvoltage V_(BS) at −0.5V, 0.0V and +0.5V respectively, where the delaytime is shown in relative scale with the delay time for a conventionaldevice at V_(DD)=1.1V, V_(BS)=0.0V, σV_(T)=0.0V and Temperature=85° C.normalized to 1. The horizontal axis corresponds to 3σV_(T) value. TheσV_(T) for a conventional device is typically around 15 mV which leadsto 3σV_(T)=45 mV. As shown in FIG. 17A, the three bands 1702, 1704 and1706 are substantially overlapped, which makes it difficult todifferentiate the mode according to the delay time. FIG. 17B shows theimproved delay time for examples of DDC devices. In FIG. 17B, the threebands not only do not overlap, but also have a much smaller spread. Atthree different bias voltages, −0.5V, 0.0V and +0.5V (reverse bias, zerobias and forward bias), DDC devices illustrate three very distinct bands1708, 1710 and 1712. The distinctive bands illustrate that DDC devicesin some embodiments are very effective to use in multiple operationmodes.

One other potential benefit of a transistor that can provide a reduced aV_(T), and thus a V_(T) that can be more precisely controlled, is theability to control V_(T) dynamically. In conventional devices, σV_(T) isso large that V_(T) needs to be accounted for across a broad range.According to embodiments described herein, V_(T) can be varieddynamically by adjusting the body bias voltage. Dynamic adjustment ofV_(T) is provided by the increased body effect, and the range of dynamiccontrol is provided by a reduced σV_(T). Referring to FIG. 18 , onegraphical example is illustrated that shows a static V_(T) that is setfor a device, V_(T0), and further shows multiple V_(T)'s of which thedevice can be adjusted. Each has a corresponding ΔV_(T), or individualσV_(T) for each corresponding V_(T) value. According to embodimentsdescribed herein, a device can be configured to have a dynamicallyadjustable V_(T) adjusting the body bias voltage within the requiredvoltage range and with a suitable speed of voltage adjustment. Incertain embodiments, the voltage adjustment can be in predeterminedsteps, or it can be continuously varied.

According to another embodiment, while FIG. 15 illustrates a samplemultimode device that is capable of operating under various modes, itcould also be useful for the device to include a structure to isolatethe body for a group of transistors. This would provide the ability fora device effectively operate independently under various modes. If thebody of a group of multi-mode transistors is connected, the whole groupwill be switched at the same time, limiting the ability to facilitatemode switching. On the other hand, if the bodies of two groups ofmulti-mode transistors are not connected, the two groups can beindividually controlled. Therefore, the basic multi-mode transistorshown in FIG. 15 can further provide a group of transistors that can bedivided into a number of blocks with an individual body bias for eachgroup. These are described below.

Thus, improved systems can be configured utilizing the DDC structures,such as the transistor structures illustrated in FIGS. 14A through 14Iand discussed above. Variations on those structures may be implementedinto integrated circuits and systems having compelling advances inperformance. It has been shown how the structures can be configured toscale transistors, and now it will be shown how these structures can beused as building blocks to scale broader integrated circuits andsystems. Utilizing the DDC structures, STIs, PTIs, shallow wells and/orshared wells incorporated in, for example, integrated circuits andsystems can be configured for new and improved system performance.Furthermore, new innovations utilizing body taps and/or body accesstransistors can be utilized even apart from the DDC structures toprovide new features and benefits for integrated circuits and systems.Thus, these innovations in bulk CMOS and other novel structures andprocesses can be used to construct newly scaled integrated circuit chipswith greatly improved operations.

While the transistor embodiments described thus far generally mayprovide for continued power scaling of bulk CMOS transistors and otherdevices, among other things, one desiring to take full advantage of someof the benefits and features of DDC structures at the chip level mayalso be able to do so by appropriate modification of the layout androuting of circuit blocks on the chip in accordance with the transistorembodiments discussed herein. For example, as discussed previously, theconcept of dynamically adjusting the body bias voltage of transistors toadjust their threshold voltages is known but has generally not provenpractical to implement in nanoscale devices. Reasons for this includethat, in some implementations, (1) the large σV_(T) of conventional bulkCMOS nanoscale devices may not provide for sufficient differentiationbetween transistors in relation to existing nanoscale-scale devices; (2)the relatively low body coefficient of conventional bulk CMOS nanoscaledevices may not provide the ability to switch between operating modesquickly enough to avoid affecting chip operation; and (3) routing thebody bias lines to each transistor or circuit block can significantlyreduce the number of transistors that can be integrated on a chip, thusinhibiting scaling at the chip level. Some DDC transistor embodimentscan address the first two issues by (1) providing a significantlyreduced σV_(T), which allows the same transistor to be designed not onlyto work at different threshold voltages but at different operatingvoltages; and/or (2) providing a significantly increased bodycoefficient that allows transistors and circuit blocks to quickly andefficiently switch between operating modes. DDC transistors can, in someembodiments, be treated as chameleon-like field programmable transistors(FPTs), in which some or all have the same nominal structure andcharacteristics but are independently configurable to operate astransistors that would have had to have been fabricated differently inconventional bulk CMOS. Improved routing of body bias lines is anotherelement of the following discussion, which also provides furtherexamples of how multi-mode transistors may be used.

FIG. 19 is a simplified drawing that illustrates the concept ofmulti-mode operation for a group of transistors, where each block orcircuit may operate at a different mode based on the body bias voltageand operating voltage supplied to it. In some implementations, applyingseparate body biases to the individual blocks can allow a system to becontrolled by dynamically adjusting its threshold voltage, allowing thecommonly connected components to operate in common modes, and separatelyconnected components or systems to operate in separately controlledmodes. In the exemplary scenario depicted in FIG. 19 , a device 1900 isdivided into five groups of transistors or circuit blocks 1910, 1920,1930, 1940 and 1950 having separate body bias contacts. According toembodiments described herein, the bodies of the five circuit blocks areisolated from each other, such that a different body bias can beindependently applied to each block. In this example, each of thecircuit blocks has its body isolated from other groups, and the body isconnected through respective body taps (1915, 1925, 1935, 1945 and1955). The five blocks are intended to illustrate the need to facilitateisolation among the group of transistors to create isolated blocks. FIG.19 also illustrates that each block is connected to individual bodybiases V_(B1), V_(B1), V_(B3), V_(B4) and V_(B5), respectively. As isunderstood by those skilled in the art, each block will also requireother supply voltages such as V_(DD) for drains, V_(SS) for sources,V_(G) for gates, and other signals. Additionally, different operatingvoltages V_(DD) may be applied separately to each circuit block. Themode of each circuit block may be set statically by design (e.g., byconnecting different circuit blocks to different body bias voltages andoperating voltages to establish their operating modes independently ofone another), and/or it may be set dynamically through control circuitryand algorithms that adjusts body bias and/or operating voltage of eachcircuit block during operation to set its operating mode. With lowσV_(T) and the ability to adjust the threshold voltage, V_(T), across arelatively wide range of values, the modes of operation of individualtransistors or groups of transistors may be separately controlled.

In the following examples, various transistors will be described. Thesetransistors are intended to be used as building blocks to form a groupof transistors into blocks with an isolated body. Referring again toFIG. 14G for example, one embodiment of a pair of CMOS transistorsconfigured with the novel DDC structures is shown, the transistorshaving body taps, where an n-channel device and a p-channel device areon the same substrate. These structures may be used to develop circuitsand systems of greatly improved performance, including embodimentsdescribed below. Other transistors may be utilized in combination withthe novel DDC structured transistors, and some of the embodiments hereinmay be configured without DDC configured transistors.

FIGS. 20A and 20B illustrate an example of an n-channel 4-terminaltransistor layout having a well structure where a single P-well 2060 ison a P-substrate 2080. The layout 2000 of the 4-terminal transistorshows the source/drain pair 2020 and 2030, a gate 2040 and a body tap2050. A cross section view at location 2010 is also shown where theshallow trench isolation (STI) 2070 depth is less than the P-well depth.The P-well 2060 is common to all n-channel transistors on theP-substrate 2080. Therefore, the 4-terminal transistor may not provideisolation among n-channel transistors. As shown in this example, thebody tap is P-plus doped and placed next to the transistor laterally (inreference to the gate orientation as shown). In addition, the body tapis isolated from the transistor by a STI 2070.

FIGS. 21A, 21B and 21C illustrate an example of an n-channel 4-terminaltransistor having a novel shallow P-well (SPW), where the SPW depth isless than the STI depth. The layout 2100 of this 4-terminal n-channeltransistor shows a source and drain pair 2020 and 2030, a gate 2040 anda body tap 2050. Cross section view 2180 illustrates location 2110 andcross section view 2190 illustrates location 2112. The shallow well canenable body isolation and, consequently, can in certain implementationsallow dynamic mode switching for a group of devices such as memory cellsor other digital circuits, thus reducing the number of body bias voltagelines that must be routed on the integrated circuit. As shown in crosssection views 2180 and 2190, the transistor has a shallow P-well 2160 ona complementary N-well 2164. Due to the p-n junction, the N-well 2164 isnot conductively connected to the shallow P-well 2160, and the N-well isnot conductively connected to the P-substrate 2080. Therefore, thetransistor can be isolated from other n-channel transistors havingshallow P-well 2160 over the N-well 2164 on the same substrate. Anactive region is extended under the gate. The minimum active criticaldimension (CD) is used for an extended active section under the gate.Extended active edges may be placed between spacer edges to avoidshortage due to silicidation. Body contact can be made over the extendedactive area outside the gate. The N+ implant edge may be under the gateextension (end cap) area. While the example illustrates one approach tocreating an n-channel 4 terminal transistor, the layout can also beapplied to create a p-channel 4 terminal transistor. As shown in FIGS.21A-C, in some implementations the STI can be deeper than the SPW. Insome embodiments, if two adjacent transistors do not have a common SPW,they can be biased independently of each other. Alternatively, a groupof adjacent transistors may share a common SPW and can be operated inthe same mode by applying the same body bias.

In yet another embodiment of the dynamic multimode transistor, a bodyaccess transistor can be formed between the actual transistor and thebody tap as shown in FIGS. 22A and 228 . FIGS. 22A-B illustrate ann-channel 4 terminal transistor layout 2200 and associated cross sectionview 2280, where the shallow P-well (SPW) 2160 is isolated by STI 2070.The body access transistor can isolate the body tap from the transistor.The body access transistor can be created as if there were a transistorwhere the gate 2041 serves as the gate for the body access transistorand the body tap is treated as a source/drain. This can simplify theprocess and reduce the area required to make body tap connection. Theuse of a body access transistor combined with the shallow well becomes auseful building block to enable dynamic mode switching with finegranularity. For the group of transistors or circuits to be switchedtogether, they can be placed to share the same shallow well. Inaddition, one or more gate taps can be created by using the body accesstransistor to provide connection to the body and supplying body bias.

As discussed above, partial trench isolation (PTI) is another preferredway to isolate the body tap from the transistor. According to anotherembodiment illustrated in FIGS. 23A and 23B, an exemplary layout 2300and cross section view 2380 for an n-channel 4-terminal transistorincludes a shallow P-well (SPW) and partial trench isolation (PTI). Thecross section view 2380 corresponds to the cross section at location2310. The SPW depth can be less than the STI depth. The PTI oxide canprevent a silicide short between an n-type source/drain and a p-typebulk tap. The PTI depth may be less than the shallow well depth so thatthe continuity of the shallow well within the transistor is maintained.The PTI approach can, in some implementations, provide superiorprotection against possible shortage between the body tap and thesource/drain due to silicide. However, the PTI would require one or moreadditional process steps during fabrication of the device. The PTI depthis, in some embodiments, preferably larger than the source/drainjunction to separate P+ bulk tap and N+ source/drain and therebyminimize N+/P+ junction leakage.

The relative planar location of the active area for the source/drain andthe active area for well tap may be arranged differently to create avariation of a 4-terminal transistor 2400 having PTI as shown in theexample in FIGS. 24A, 24B and 24C. Cross sections views 2480 and 2490correspond to locations 2410 and 2412 respectively. As shown, theshallow P-well is isolated by the STI.

While the above examples illustrate a 4-terminal transistor providing abody tap for applying body bias voltage, there are situations in whichthe fourth terminal for body bias may not be needed. For example, whenCMOS transistors have a shallow P-well and N-well on a common N-well,the p-channel transistors having shallow N-well on the N-well willalways have a common N-well. In such implementations, there may be noneed to provide a separate fourth terminal connecting to the body.Consequently, several examples of 3-terminal transistors are illustratedhere and will be used as building blocks to create a group oftransistors with body-isolated blocks. In another scenario, thetransistor may have a shallow well on a complementary well where saidtransistor is intended to operate with the body float. In suchimplementations, there may be no need to use the fourth terminal.

For one example of a 3-terminal structure 2500, a local interconnectconnects the gate and the body to reduce the number of terminals fromfour to three, as shown in FIGS. 25A, 25B and 25C. The cross sectionviews 2580 and 2590 correspond to locations 2510 and 2512, respectively.In 2580, Local Interconnection (LI) contact 2551 is used to connect thebody contact to the extended gate. In this example, the gate to bodycontact is made over an extended active area using a metal contact.Rectangular contacts used in an SRAM cell may also be used to connectthe gate to the body.

In yet another embodiment, a 3-terminal dynamic multimode transistor isformed by using the body contact under the poly. The oxide under thegate is removed using a GA (Gate to Active) contact mask. Over the gatedielectric removed area, a Polysilicon Gate Contact (PGC) implant may bemade that has the same polarity as the SPW. The use of PGC 2650 connectsthe body to the gate, as shown in structure 2600 of FIGS. 26A, 26B and26C. Cross section views 2680 and 2690 correspond to locations 2612 and2614. There can be several potential advantages of this layout scheme,including the ability to make a self-aligned gate contact to body,and/or also the ability to make a self-aligned GC (Gate Contact)implant. Since a GC implant can have the same polarity as SPW (P+doping), in some embodiments there may be no bends in the active region,which is design-for-manufacturing (DFM) friendly. The use of PGC forconnection may result in higher contact resistance to the body. However,for static mode control in some embodiments, the contact resistance isnot critical. Therefore, when a static control is needed, PGC may beused.

Alternatively, the body contact can be made in an active area extendedunder a gate extension, similar to the 3-terminal single gate transistor2700, as shown in FIGS. 27A-C. Cross section views 2780 and 2790correspond to locations 2712 and 2714. The minimum active criticaldimension (CD) may be used for extended active section. Extended activeedges can be located between spacer edges of active region under gate.The oxide under the gate may be removed using a GA contact mask. Overthe area from which the gate has been removed, a GC implant may be madehaving the same polarity as the SPW, and a body may then be used to tiethe body to the gate. In some implementations this approach can providesimilar advantages, including the ability to use a self-aligned gatecontact to body or a self-aligned GC implant, since a GC implant has thesame polarity as SPW (P+ doping).

While the contacts for gate and well tap can be at different locationsalong the poly as shown in the example in FIGS. 27A-C, they can beoriented at the same location as shown in structure 2800 in FIGS. 28A-C.Cross section views 2880 and 2890 correspond to locations 2812 and 2814,respectively.

In another embodiment, the layout will allow for a programmable4-terminal/3-terminal transistor. As shown in the structure 2900 ofFIGS. 29A-C, the gate and the body may be disconnected or connectedusing a metal region 2950, resulting in either a 4-terminal or3-terminal, respectively. Cross section views 2980 and 2990 correspondto locations 2912 and 2914, respectively. Consequently, the metal regionconnection facilitates a programmable 4-terminal/3-terminal transistorlayout.

Various transistors have been described herein, and the differentstructures described in the various embodiments and examples can be usedin different combinations and substructures to make useful systems, withimproved performance over conventional systems in many instances. Thesetransistor structures may also be used as building blocks for creating agroup of transistors divided into multiple blocks and having individualbody bias connections for dynamic mode switching. Some examples aredescribed below.

One of the preferred advantages of the transistors configured accordingto some of the embodiments described herein is dynamic mode switchingcapability. This can be enabled by applying a controlled body biasvoltage to set or adjust variable operating voltages. FIG. 30illustrates one example of circuit 3000 capable of dynamic modeswitching using 4-terminal transistors, where various bias voltages andoperating voltages are shown. The circuit blocks, a1-a4, correspond tostandard, low-leakage, and two turbo modes, respectively. Each of thecircuit blocks uses a pair of 4-terminal transistors, a p-channel4-terminal transistor 3010, and an n-channel 4-terminal transistor 3020,where the 4 terminals are designated as S (Source), D (Drain), G (Gate)and B (Body). In block a1, the 4-terminal transistor having a body tapis used as a conventional transistor. The body for the n-channel device(the lower transistor shown) is tied to source voltage Vss. The body forthe p-channel device (the upper transistor shown) is connected to theoperating voltage V_(DD). In block a2, the device is reverse biased toachieve low leakage when the device is not actively used. The reversebias can be achieved by connecting the body for the n-channel device toa reverse bias voltage for n-channel V_(BBN), which is lower thanV_(SS), and the body for the p-channel device to a reverse bias voltagefor p-channel V_(BBP), which is higher than V_(DD). If higherperformance is desired, the device can be put into a forward biascondition as shown in blocks a3 and a4. In a3(i), the p-channel body andn-channel are connected to dedicated forward bias voltages V_(FBP) andV_(FBN) respectively, where V_(FBP) is less than V_(DD) and V_(FBN) ishigher than V_(SS). Alternatively, source and drain voltages can be usedfor forward bias to save system cost by eliminating the requiredadditional supplies for the forward bias voltage. As shown in a3(ii),the body of the p-channel is tied to V_(SS) and the body for then-channel device is tied to V_(DD). The circuits in a4(i) and a4(ii) aresimilar to those of a3(i) and a3(ii) except that a high operatingvoltage V_(DDH) is connected.

As shown in FIG. 31 , there are also several other variations of usingthe 4-terminal device in a dynamic switching environment. In FIG. 31 ,the circuit block a1 illustrates the scenario in which the body of the4-terminal device is left unconnected to make the body float. There aretwo versions of floating body 3100 illustrated in FIG. 31 , wheresub-block a1(i) uses V_(DD) as operating voltage while sub-block a1 (ii)uses V_(DDH) as operating voltage. This will deliver a mediumperformance. In circuit block a2, the body and drain of the p-channeland n-channel devices are all tied together to achieve a turbo mode. Thesame dynamic mode switching feature can be extended to a large scale ofcircuits having many more transistors according to one embodimentdescribed herein.

FIG. 32A illustrates the implementation of dynamic mode switching usinga simplified case. FIG. 32A shows a circuit 3200, wherein two circuitblocks, 3220 and 3230, have isolated bodies so that independent bodybias can be applied. The body bias for circuit block 3220 can be appliedvia the body contact 3225, while the body bias for circuit block 3230can be applied via body tap 3235. The power supply rack for othervoltages, similar to the one shown in FIG. 30 , is not shown. However,those skilled in the art will easily understand the implementation of apower supply rack for the system in FIG. 32 . An exemplary cross section3250 for such circuit blocks is shown in FIG. 32B, depicting,corresponding to the circuit blocks 3220 and 3230, n-channel deviceshaving shallow P-wells 3260 and 3261 on N-well 3264. The shallow P-wells3260 and 3261 are isolated between the two circuit blocks by the STI3263 to create separate shallow wells for the two circuit blocks. Thetwo shallow P-wells 3260 and 3261 are not connected by the underneathN-well 3264, located over P-sub 3266, due to p-n junction effect. A bodyaccess transistor is used to create a tap and also isolate a tap fromactive transistors sharing the SPW well. A p-type contact region 3210 isused for the body contact to provide connectivity to the shallow P-well.The example in FIG. 32B illustrates the use of shallow channel, STI 3262along with body tap to create isolated multiple circuit blocks fordynamic mode switch. While the example is illustrated for n-channeldevices, it can be easily applied to p-channel devices.

Furthermore, it can also be extended to device 3300 illustrated in theexample in FIG. 33A having p-channel and n-channel devices together instructure 3310. FIG. 33B represents a scenario in which a CMOS devicehas two shallow P-wells 3260, 3261, and also has a shallow N-well 3360with respective body contacts 3325, 3335 and 3345. All are on an N-well3264. Three circuit blocks are shown: circuit block 3320 and circuitblock 3330 are n-channel devices and circuit block 3340 is a p-channeldevice. Each of the circuit blocks can share the same N-well 3264. Dueto the p-n junction effect, the shallow P-wells for circuit blocks 3320and 3330 can, in some implementations, always isolate from the p-channeldevices. There may be more than one p-channel circuit block. However,since the shallow N-well is always connected to the N-well underneath,each of the p-channel devices can have the same body bias. Therefore, insome applications, the shallow N-wells such as 3360 for the p-channeldevice cannot share the common N-well with other shallow N-well devices.In such applications, the N-well devices cannot be divided into isolatedshallow wells when a common well is used. Thus, there may be no need toform individual circuit blocks for the p-channel device from the dynamicpower mode switching point of view. In some embodiments, only then-channel devices may be separately controlled via the body biasmechanism in the single N-well scenario. When the underlying transistorsare configured with the high body effect transistors as describedherein, the use of body bias can become an effective way to facilitatedynamic mode switching. For the p-channel devices, a shallow N-well inthe N-well is optional.

The following FIGUREs illustrate a number of circuit examples that maybe formed using multiple methods and structures, which can be used asbuilding blocks for integrated circuits according to embodimentsdiscussed herein. The discussion will begin with examples using somebuilding-block processes and structures that are currently used in theindustry. Later-described FIGUREs will illustrate examples usingbuilding-block structures and processes that materially improve onconventional approaches.

FIGS. 34Ai and 34Aii show an example of a circuit configured withdifferent commonly used circuit components that will be used in laterFIGUREs to illustrate the implementation of dynamic mode switching. InFIGS. 34Ai and Aii, a combined circuit 3410 is shown having a NAND gateNAND2 3402, inverter INV 3404 (inverter) and body tap TAP 3406. Theseuseful structures may be used according to various embodiments disclosedherein to provide better structured and useful circuits with new andenhanced features.

In FIG. 34B, the layout 3420 shows a conventional approach ofimplementing the group of transistors using dummy poly 3428 to createtaps 3427 and 3429 into respective wells. The body tap providesconnectivity to the well or substrate which is common for all devices.FIG. 34B shows body taps that extend into the wells. The lower part ofthe layout shows this part of the device implemented in an n-channelhaving a shallow P-well on an N-well. The shallow P-well is isolatedfrom adjacent devices by the STI because the depth of the shallow P-wellis less than the STI depth. The upper part of the layout shows this partof the device implemented in p-channel having a shallow N-well on aP-well. Again, the shallow N-well is isolated from neighboring devicesby STI. Since two separate wells (P-well and N-well) and respectiveshallow wells are used, the fully complementary device allows separateindividual dynamic controls for n-channel devices as well as forp-channel devices. In FIG. 34B, which includes a NAND gate NAND2 3422,an inverter INV 3424 and a TAP 3426, the upper and lower parts of thedevice have their respective body ties 3427 and 3429. The lower part ofthe layout shows this part of the device implemented in n-channel havinga shallow P-well on a P-well. The upper part of the layout shows thispart of the device implemented in p-channel having a shallow N-well onan N-well. FIG. 34C, which includes a NAND gate NAND2 3422, an inverterINV 3424, and a body access transistor TAP 3426, is similar to FIG. 34Bexcept that single body taps 3437 and 3439 are implemented based onnovel body access transistor 3438. These novel body access transistorsprovide a novel configuration that allows access to the transistor body.Unlike conventional device designs, these structures provide meaningfuloperational capability to the device and circuit.

FIG. 34D illustrates an example of circuit layout 3440, including a NANDgate NAND2 3422, an inverter INV 3424, and a body access transistor TAP3446, using body access transistors 3450 to create two body taps 3437 or3439 separated by the STI to provide connectivity to the respectivewell. For FIG. 34D, the body access poly is used to implement theconnectivity to the body. The body access transistor having two separatebody taps are isolated by STI; the left side and the right side of theSTI have isolated shallow wells to allow individual body biasesconnected to the left side and the right side. FIGS. 34Ei, 34Eii and34Eiii show cross section views 3490 and 3495 corresponding to locations3482 and 3484 respectively. In cross section view 3490, the n-channeltransistors (e.g., 3460) are on shallow P-well 3462 isolated on bothsides by STI 3464 and 3465. The shallow P-well 3462 is on an N-well 3466and the N-well is on a P-substrate 3468. The body taps 3439 areconnected to the shallow P-well 3462. The upper part of the device 3440includes p-channel transistors (e.g., 3470) on a shallow N-well 3472isolated by STI 3474 and STI 3475. The shallow N-well 3472 is on aP-well 3476, which is on the same P-substrate 3468. The body tap 3437provides connectivity to the shallow N-well 3472. The device 3440illustrates an example of an embodiment with fully complementarymultiple transistors having isolated shallow wells (3462 and 3472) withseparate body taps (3439 and 3437) for dynamic mode control.

While FIG. 34D shows a dynamic mode switching implementation based ontransistors configured with DDC, the dynamic mode switching can also beapplied to a mixed environment having legacy devices and new devices.FIGS. 35A, 35B and 25C illustrate an example of an implementation usingmixed legacy devices and new devices for the same circuit consisting ofNAND gate NAND2 3502, INV 3504 and TAP 3506, which includes STIs 3524and 3534 to separate shallow wells. Again, both N-well and P-well areused. However, both NAND2 and TAP are implemented using the legacyapproach where the shallow well is on the well of the same doping type.The NAND2 3502 and TAP 3506 always have common well either on N-well orP-well. Therefore, the shallow well for the NAND2 3502 and TAP 3506cannot be isolated by STI. This arrangement may only leave the shallowwell for the INV 3504 capable of being isolated. Depending on design,the INV 3504 body can be floating (i.e., no body tap provided to connectto the respective shallow well or the body tap is not connected) orconnected to a body bias. However, since two separate wells are used,two separate body bias voltages can be applied to n-channel devices onP-well and p-channel devices on N-well.

FIGS. 35A-C also illustrate examples of cross section views 3550 and3560 at locations 3510 and 3512, respectively. The cross section view3550 shows both the n-channel transistor and the tap 3516 on shallowP-wells 3522 and 3521. Both shallow P-wells 3522 and 3521 are on P-well3526, which is on P-substrate 3528. The body tap 3516 providesconnectivity to the body for the n-channel transistor. The shallowN-well 3532 for the p-channel in the lower part is isolated and leftfloating. The cross section 3560 shows both the p-channel transistor andthe tap 3514 on shallow N-wells 3533 and 3535. Both shallow N-wells 3533and 3535 are on N-well 3536, which is on P-substrate 3538. The body tap3514 provides connectivity to the body for the p-channel transistor. Theshallow P-well 3523 for the n-channel in the upper part is isolated andleft floating. Body taps for the p-channel devices in shallow N-well3532 and the n-channel devices in shallow P-well can be added with bodyaccess transistors as described before.

FIG. 36 illustrates an example of an implementation based on the legacyapproach where two separate wells are used. The n-channel transistorsare on shallow P-well 3622 isolated by STI 3623 and 3624. Since theshallow P-well 3622 for all n-channel transistors is on P-well 3626, theshallow P-well 3632 will be isolated from neighboring circuits betweenSTI 3624 and STI 3625 because the P-well provides conductivity among then-channel transistors on other shallow P-wells. Both the P-well 3626 andthe N-well 3636 are on a deep N-well 3628, which is on a P-substrate3630. Body access contacts 3612 and 3614 are also shown.

The preceding examples illustrate various dynamic mode switchingimplementations using bulk CMOS. Nevertheless, the novel body tie designcan also be applied to a semiconductor device using a non-CMOS bulkdevice. For example, the body taps can be formed on the partiallydepleted (PD) SOI technology, as shown in FIGS. 37A, 37B and 37C, whichincludes a NAND2 3722, an INV 3724, and a TAP 3746. The circuit 3700 issimilar to FIG. 34D where body access transistors are used to createseparate body taps 3712 and 3714. FIGS. 37A-C also show cross sectionviews 3740 and 3760 corresponding to the layout along locations 3716 and3718. The lower part of the circuit 3700 is associated with n-channeldevices on P-well 3744 isolated by STI 3743 and 3745. Thus, it can allowformation of multiple isolated P-wells on the SOI so that body biasescan be applied to the respective circuit blocks independently. The upperpart of the circuit 3700 is associated with p-channel devices on N-well3764 isolated by STI 3747 and 3749. Thus, it can allow formation ofmultiple isolated N-wells on the SOI so that body biases can be appliedto the respective circuit blocks independently. Both the P-well 3744 andN-well 3764 are on Buried Oxide (BOX) 3748. This constructionfacilitates the ability to separately bias a group of transistors orrelated switchable devices, according to various embodiments describedherein.

Static random access memory is widely used in, or in association with,various digital processors, such as central processing units (CPUs),microprocessors/microcontrollers, digital signal processors (DSPs),field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and other devices. There areseveral device structures in wide use in the industry. Among them, the6T-SRAM (6-Transistor SRAM) cell is most often used because it can beimplemented using generic CMOS processes. Consequently, it can be easilyembedded into any digital processor. Utilizing the novel structuresdiscussed above, an improved SRAM can be configured with betterperformance, and reduced circuit area. By implementing novel body taps,body access transistors, and/or the novel DDC structures, asignificantly improved SRAM can be produced using well known processingequipment and facilities. Also, some of these SRAM circuit embodimentsmay be made using the novel DDC structured transistors, and also othertypes of transistors in combination with the novel DDC structuredtransistors. And, some of the embodiments herein may be configuredwithout DDC configured transistors while still benefiting from improvedSRAM performance and features.

In one embodiment, the basic 6-T SRAM cell includes two pull-up (PU)transistors and two pull-down (PD) transistors that store one bit ofdata and use two pass gate (PG) transistors to control the bit_line andthe inverted bit_line. An example of this is shown in FIG. 38 ,structure 3800. The pass transistor switching can be controlled by aword line, allowing design of an SRAM that has low operating powerconsumption as well as low leakage current. In the example of 6T SRAM inFIG. 38 , the PU transistors are implemented using p-channel 4-terminaltransistors 3010 while others are implemented using n-channel 4-terminaltransistors 3020. FIG. 38 also shows various signals and power suppliesfor the 6T SRAM, including Word Line (WL), Bit Line (BL), Bit LineNegation (BLN), V_(SS) and V_(DD). FIG. 38 also shows that connectionsto the body for the n-channel transistors (shallow P-well, SPW) and thebody for the p-channel transistors (N-well, NW) can be provided.

Memory access can consume significant amounts of power in an electronicsystem. There have been efforts in the field to develop implementationsand systems for lowering power consumption during memory access as wellas during data retention. SRAM is typically used in a computer systemfor program as well as data storage. During program execution or dataaccess, part of the memory may be actively accessed while other partsmay be idle. It would be beneficial if the mode of operation for an SRAMcould be dynamically switched at a fine granularity. In one embodiment,the body of each cell may be structurally isolated so that the bias ofthe cell can be individually controlled. In practice, a row of cells maybe controlled together by connecting the source voltage for the row. Inaddition to the V_(SS) based 6T SRAM mode switch control and the bodytap and body access transistor techniques described above, this isanother approach to create a multi-mode enabled SRAM. The approach canbe implemented for use in an SRAM, for instance, by breaking the shallowwell diffusion for a block of cells using body access transistortechnology. A desired body bias can be selectively applied to the blockof SRAM cells via the body tap to determine the desired mode ofoperation.

In order to create a dynamic multi-mode SRAM array, examples ofembodiments are provided that use component building blocks. Theseblocks include various 4-terminal, 3-terminal, and programmable3/4-terminal transistors. These building blocks together with variousbody connection structures may be combined to build improved SRAMcircuits that operate more efficiently. For example, body accesstransistor can be formed by converting poly over STI into a transistor,while treating the body tap as one of the source/drain pairs. The bodyaccess cell can be added to surrounding areas to isolate the shallowwell of an SRAM array so that the body bias can be individually appliedto the SRAM array. An example of a 6T SRAM implementation and associatedbody access transistors along with the process of connecting the SRAMcells and the body access cells to create a dynamic multi-mode SRAMarray is described below.

FIG. 39 illustrates a layout example for the 6T SRAM of FIG. 38 . The 6TSRAM cell contains 6 transistors, where PG indicates the locations ofpass-gate transistor, PD indicates the locations of pull-downtransistors, and PU indicates locations of pull-up transistors. The PDand PG transistors are n-channel transistors and are formed in the N+implant region 3910 and the PU transistors are p-channel transistorsformed in the P+ implant region 3920. The n-channel transistors areformed on shallow P-well 3940 while the p-channel transistors are formedon N-well 3950. Use of a shallow N-well in N-well 3950 is optional inthe implementation of this embodiment. The signal line and power supplylines are shown in FIG. 38 , and also other FIGUREs.

Cross sections of one preferred layout for a SRAM cell structure 3900are shown in FIGS. 40Ai, 40Aii and 40Aiii. The cross section view 4010corresponds to the line 4015, where a PG transistor and a PD transistorare located. Additional PG and PD transistors are located toward theother end of the SRAM cell and have similar cross section views. Thecross section view 4010 also shows that the transistors have a shallowP-well 3940 on an N-well 4040. The N-well is on a P-type substrate 4050.The cross section view 4020 corresponds to the line 4025, where a PUtransistor is located. The cross section shows that the PU transistorhas a shallow N-well 3950 on the N-well 4040. The shallow N-well 3950for the p-channel transistors is on a well (N-well) with the same typeof dopant. Therefore, the shallow N-well and the N-well may beconductively connected. Shallow N-well in N-well is optional. However,for the n-channel device, the shallow P-well 3940 may be isolated fromthe N-well 4040 beneath it. A 3D view of the 6T SRAM cell correspondingto FIG. 39 is shown in FIG. 40B, where the well structure and transistortypes are labeled.

FIG. 41A illustrates an example of a top view of one preferred wellstructure (the N-well is not shown because it extends throughout theentire cell area). For the 6T SRAM layout of FIG. 39 , the shallowP-well extends from end to end in the y direction, where x and yrepresent arbitrary directions characterizing the relative orientationof the 6T SRAM cell. FIG. 41B illustrates the 6T SRAM cells stacked upto form a 2×2 array, where one of two neighboring cells in the ydirection is flipped in the y direction to form a mirror image of thecell. As shown in FIG. 41B, the shallow P-well 3940 becomes continuousfrom cell to cell in the y direction. Therefore, if a large number ofcells are connected in the y direction, all the cells will share thesame shallow P-well. In order to add granularity for dynamic modeswitch, there is a need to use a structure to break the continuity ofthe shallow P-well 3940. The tap cell serves the purpose of isolatingthe shallow P-well as well as providing connectivity to the shallowP-well.

FIG. 42 illustrates a layout example of the tap cell that could be usedin conjunction with embodiments described herein. The layout is designedto match the SRAM cell layout described below. The upper part and thelower part of the tap cell have isolated shallow P-wells so they can beindividually connected to a respective supply for body bias (shown asVSPW0 and VSPW1). FIGS. 43A, 43B and 43C illustrate examples of crosssection views at two locations as indicated by the dashed lines, wherethe drawing is rotated. The cross section view 4210 corresponds to thecut out view at location 4215. The shallow P-well 3940 on the left sidecan be isolated of conductivity from the shallow P-well 3940 on theright side of the STI. This shallow well isolation can allow differentbody biases applied to the two shallow wells. In order to create acontact to the shallow P-well, a p-type implant is used for the bodyaccess transistor source/drain region. Since this p-type source/drainregion has the same doping type as the shallow P-well, conductivity ismade from the p-type source/drain (i.e., body tap) to the shallowP-well. The cross section view 4220 corresponds to location 4225. Sincethe body tap region is doped with the same doping type as the shallowN-well, the body tap creates connectivity to the shallow N-well. Thewell structure of cross sections 4210 and 4220 is similar to that ofcross sections 4010 and 4020, respectively.

FIG. 44 illustrates an example of a top view of the tap cell of FIG. 42. Unlike an SRAM cell where the shallow P-well 3940 extends end to end,the shallow P-wells 3940 for the tap cell on the upper side can beisolated from those on the lower side at the dividing line 4480. Theisolation of the shallow N-wells 3950, as before, is not a concern sincethe shallow N-well is conductively connected to the N-well regionbeneath it and the N-well extends throughout the entire cell. The tapcell also provides connectivity to the shallow P-well 3940 through SPWtaps 4460 and connectivity to the shallow N-well 3950 through SNW taps4470. FIG. 45 illustrates an example of forming a 2×2 SRAM array 4500embodying the dynamic mode control feature according to embodimentsdescribed herein. The SRAM array consists of 2×2 SRAM cells, and two tapcells on each side of the y boundaries to form SPW taps and isolation.Again, the x-y directions are relative directions to show the arrayorientation. As shown in FIG. 45 , the two neighboring SRAM cells in they direction have continuous SPW. Further continuity of the SPW beyondthe two neighboring cells in the y direction is terminated by STI in tapcell 4200. Therefore, a body bias VSPWn can be applied to the 2×2 SRAMarray while body bias VSPW(n−1) can be applied to the neighboring arrayon the top (not fully shown) and body bias VSPW(n+1) can be applied tothe neighboring array on the bottom (not fully shown). FIG. 46illustrates an example of 4×4 SRAM array 4600 using tap cells for SPWisolation. FIGS. 45 and 46 illustrate the use of SRAM cells having SPWconnectivity in the y direction and the use of body access cells (alsocalled tap cells) to terminate the continuity of the SPW. Therefore, adynamic mode switching SRAM array having a desired size can be formedaccordingly.

While FIGS. 45 and 46 focus on examples of the SPW continuity andisolation, many other signals and supply voltages, as described above,are needed to form a complete array. The connection of these signals andsupply voltages to the SRAM array are well known in the field by thoseskilled in the art and the details will not be presented here. In afully connected 4×4 SRAM array corresponding to FIG. 46 , the Word Line(WL) signal can be connected to each row of the SRAM array and the BitLine (BL) signal can be connected to each column of the SRAM array.

The body control signals (VSPWn) can run parallel to the word line.During operation of the SRAM array, body bias of the selected word groupcan be switched to positive if any word in the selected word group isselected. This helps improve read and write performance. All other wordgroups in the sub-array can have body reverse biased (or zero biased)for leakage reduction when reading or writing from a particular wordgroup.

In some usages of the 6T SRAM using body tap/body access cell tofacilitate mode switch, the shallow P-well body can be used for dynamicswitching while the p-channel body (N-well) can be used for static bias.Any word selected in the group can cause the shallow P-well body of alln-channel transistors in selected word group to switch. The bias for thep-channel and n-channel can be set to zero, and then forward or reversebiased according to desired mode.

The body access cell-based dynamic mode switching SRAM array asdescribed above has advantages in scalable fine granular control.However, this approach will require body access cells in addition to theSRAM cells. There are other methods and systems that do not require theextra body access cell. One of these approaches uses V_(SS) per rowwhile all the cells of the SRAM array in the body access cell basedapproach share a common Vss. If the V_(SS) can be individuallycontrolled per row, a unique V_(SS) can be applied to each row to createa desired body bias for the row. In this scenario, the body voltage maynot be controllable. However, the V_(SS) can be separately controlled tocause different V_(BS) voltage (the voltage between the body and thesource) and achieve dynamic mode switching.

FIG. 47 illustrates one example of a 6T-SRAM circuit 4700 for V_(SS) perrow based multi-mode switch. Again, the SRAM cell consists of twopull-up (PU) transistors, twp pull-down (PD) transistors and twopass-gate (PG) transistors. One of the differences between the exampleillustrated in FIG. 47 and the 6T SRAM cell of FIG. 38 is that thepass-gate (PG) used in FIG. 47 is an n-channel 3-terminal dual-gatetransistor 4710. A layout and corresponding cross section view of3-terminal dual gate transistor is shown in FIG. 26 and FIG. 27 . Thedual gate transistor has a gate connected to the body, i.e., the gate ofthe PG transistor (i.e., the WL) is connected to the body of the cell.The PU and PD transistors are of the same type as in the example of FIG.38 . FIG. 48 illustrates an example of layout 4800 of the SRAM cell ofFIG. 47 , where the cell boundary 4860 is shown. The n-channel devicesfor the PG and PD transistors in a shallow P-Well are used whilep-channel devices are used for PU transistors. The well structure ofthis SRAM cell is very similar to that of FIG. 39 . Therefore, the crosssection views are shown. Both the SPW and SNW are on a common N-well andthe N-well is used all over the cell.

FIG. 49A illustrates a structure 4900 showing the SPW and SNW of theSRAM layout of FIG. 48 . The V_(SS) contacts 4910 are explicitly shownfor this layout. When connecting multiple SRAM cells, the contacts areoften connected using metal regions. FIG. 49B illustrates a 2×2 SRAMarray 4920 using the SRAM cell of FIG. 48 , where the SPW 3940 does notform continuously as the SRAM array of FIG. 45 or FIG. 46 . FIG. 49Balso illustrates that the V_(SS) is individually connected for each row(V_(SS0) 4921 and Vssi 4922). FIG. 49C illustrates a 4×4 SRAM array 4930based on the Vss per row technique, where a unique V_(SS) (V_(SS0) 4931,V_(SS1) 4932, V_(SS2) 4933, and V_(SS3) 4934) is used for each row.

In a full layout of the 4×4 SRAM array corresponding to FIG. 49C,similar to the dynamic mode switch 4×4 SRAM array based on the bodyaccess cell technique, the Word Line (WL) may be connected on arow-by-row basis while the Bit Line (BL) is connected column-by-column.The Word Line for each row may be connected to the SPW (i.e., the bodyof the respective device). The V_(SS) may be also connected on a row byrow basis. Therefore, an individual body bias can be achieved on a rowby row basis. The N-Well body taps may occur every 16 (or 32) wordlines.

An alternative implementation of the V_(SS)-based mode switch for 6TSRAM 5000 is shown in FIG. 50 , where an Epi-body contact of the3-terminal dual gate transistor is formed over PG channel, where thecell boundary 5060 is shown. FIG. 51A illustrates the SPW and SNW of theSRAM layout of FIG. 50 . The V_(SS) contacts 4910 are explicitly shownfor this layout. FIG. 51B illustrates a 2×2 SRAM array 5120 using theSRAM cell of FIG. 50 , where the SPW 3940 does not form continuously asthe SRAM array of FIG. 45 or FIG. 46 . FIG. 51B also illustrates instructure 5100 that the V_(SS) is individually connected for each row(V_(SS0) 4921 and V_(SS1) 4922). FIG. 51C illustrates a 4×4 SRAM array5130 based on the V_(SS) per row technique, where a unique V_(SS0)(V_(SS0) 4931, V_(SS1) 4932, V_(SS2) 4933, and V_(SS3) 4934) is used foreach row. The characteristics of this cell and the area are the same asin the example of FIG. 48 .

The mode of operation for the cell is determined according to severalconditions including V_(SS), n-channel bias, word line (WL) state, bitline (BL) state, V_(DD) and p-channel body bias. The V_(SS), n-channelbias, word line (WL) state and bit line (BL) state can be used fordynamic control while V_(DD) and p-channel body bias can be used forstatic mode control. For the SRAM array, dedicated V_(SS) is used on aper-row basis (V_(SS0), −V_(SS2), V_(SS3)). Similarly, the WL, which isconnected to the shallow P-well to dynamically control the n-channelbody bias, is also organized with one WL per row (WL0-WL3). The BL andV_(DD) lines are used to connect the cells in the vertical direction. Asshown, both BL and V_(DD) are organized to provide one BL and one V_(DD)per column. A typical SRAM may include Read/Write, NOP (No Operation)and deep sleep modes. Further details of these modes are discussedbelow.

In Standby and Data Retention modes (corresponding to a deep sleepmode), V_(SS) can be biased positive to reverse bias the body of then-channel devices, and to reduce effective V_(DS). This configurationlowers standby leakage. For example, V_(SS) can be set to 0.3V andV_(DD) set to no more than 0.6V such that V_(DS)≤0.3V. Both the PG andPD transistors will be reverse biased under this condition. Thep-channel device is zero biased or reverse biased to keep the PUtransistor current 1000× that of the PD off current. In the NOP mode,both PG and PD n-channel devices have a biased body with reverse biasand the PU p-channel device body is biased at zero bias or reverse bias.As an example, the V_(DD) is set to 1.0V and V_(SS) and BL are set to0.6V, so that V_(DS)≤0.4V and a low standby current are achieved.

In the Read mode, both PG and PD n-channel devices can have forwardbias. The dynamic Vss switching may be limited to a selected word (orrow). For a PG device, V_(GS)=V_(BS)≤0.6V and V_(DS)≤0.6V. For a PDdevice, V_(GS)=1.0V and V_(BS)≤0.6V. A favorable PD/PG beta ratio can beachieved due to a larger PD V_(DS). The PG device width can be the sameas the PD device width. This can achieve favorable read static noisemargin and low read cell current.

In the write mode, both PG and PD n-channel devices can have forwardbias. The dynamic V_(SS) switching may be limited to the selected word(or row). For a PG device, V_(GS)=V_(BS)≤0.6V. While the n-channel PGtransistors and PD transistors in a shallow P-Well and the p-channel PUtransistors are used in the above example, the p-channel PG transistorand PD transistor in a shallow N-Well and the n-channel PU transistorscan also be used to achieve the same design goal.

While the V_(SS) per-row technique does not require body access cellsfor shallow well isolation, each SRAM cell is larger than the SRAM cellfor the body access cell based technique. In order to isolate the cellfrom neighboring cells to facilitate Vss based body bias control perrow, inactive areas can be added around the cell. Consequently, the cellheight may be increased, in this example, by 130 nm. This corresponds toabout a 38% increase in cell area. All transistors are oriented in thesame direction. As a design example, the dimensions of transistors areas follows:

Passgate (PG):W/L=70 nm/40 nm

Pulldown (PD):W/L=85 nm/35 nm

Pullup (PU):W/L=65 nm/35 nm

This example results in an area, x*y=0.72)μm*0.475 μm=0.342)μm2 in a 45nm process node.

FIG. 52 shows a System 5200 that includes a number of functional unitsinterconnected, as necessary, using interconnect 5210. For example, insome cases, interconnect 5210 provides a common path for communicationbetween all of the functional units 5204-1, 5204-2, 5204-3, and through5204-n. In other cases, interconnect provides point-to-pointcommunications between one set of functional units while providing acommon communications path among another set of functional units.Interconnect 5210 thus may be configured in any way that is appropriateto meet the goals of the system designer using conventional techniquesfor communicating using the functional units available in the targetsystem, including, for example, wired, wireless, broadcast andpoint-to-point. The “n” of On is meant to convey that there may be asmany functional units as the system designer deems necessary and doesnot imply that there is a maximum of nine functional units.

According to some embodiments, System 5200 is an electronics systemhaving multiple, independently packaged components and/or subassemblies.Examples of such systems today include personal computers, mobiletelephones, digital music players, e-book readers, gaming consoles,portable gaming systems, cable set top boxes, televisions, stereoequipment, and any other electronic similar electronics system thatmight benefit from the increased control of power consumption providedby the technologies disclosed herein. In such systems, the functionalunits 5201, 5201, 5203, 5204-1 through 5204-n are the typical systemcomponents for such systems, and the interconnect 5210 is typicallyprovided using a printed wiring board or backplane (not shown). Forexample, in the case of personal computers, the functional componentswould include the CPU, system memory, and a mass storage device such ashard disk drive or solid state disk drive, all of which would beinterconnected as necessary by a system interconnect implemented on amotherboard. Similarly, a mobile telephone would include a variety ofone or more chips and a display panel, for example, all of whichtypically would be interconnected using one or more printed wiringboards (PWBs), which may include flex connectors

According to other embodiments, system 5210 is a system-in-package (SIP)in which each of the functional units is an integrated circuit, all ofwhich are packaged together in a single multi-chip package. In SIPsystems, the interconnect 5210 may be provided by direct chip-to-chipinterconnections such as wire bonds, lead bonds, solder balls or goldstud bumps, for example, as well as by interconnections provided by apackage substrate, which may include common bus-type interconnects,point-to-point interconnects, voltage planes and ground planes, forexample.

According to yet other embodiments, System 5200 is a single chip, suchas a system-on-chip (SOC), and the functional units are implemented asgroups of transistors (e.g., circuit blocks or cells) on a commonsemiconductor substrate or semiconductor-on-insulator substrate (e.g.,when bulk CMOS and Sal structures are implemented on an Sal substrate).In such embodiments, interconnect 5210 may be provided using anytechnique available for interconnecting circuit blocks in an integratedcircuit.

As discussed above, the transistor and integrated circuit technologiesdiscussed allow the manufacture and use of multi-mode transistors thatcan be independently specified, statically by design and/or dynamicallyby adjusting body bias and/or operating voltage, on a commonsemiconductor substrate. These same technologies can also providesimilar benefits at the system level, even if only one of the functionalunits implements the technology. For example, functional unit 5202 mayinclude logic (not shown) that dynamically adjusts the operationalmode(s) of its DDC transistors to reduce power consumption. This may bedone, for example, through digital or analog techniques implemented onfunctional unit 5202. Alternatively, functional unit 5202 may controlpower consumption in response to external control signals from anotherfunctional unit, e.g., functional unit 5201. Whether the powerconsumption is each functional unit is controlled locally by thefunctional unit, centrally by a controller functional unit, or by ahybrid approach, typically more control over power consumption can beachieved.

System level control of power consumption is something that is known,particularly in computing systems. For example, the AdvancedConfiguration and Power Interface (ACPI) specification is an openstandard for power management of system components by the operatingsystem. The deeply depleted channel, transistor, and integrated circuittechnologies described above complement and extend the capabilities ofsuch power management approaches by allowing system control ofindividual circuit blocks in each functional unit in the system. Forexample, the lowest level of control provided by ACPI is the devicelevel, which corresponds to the functional unit (e.g., a chip or a harddrive) of a multi-component system such as personal computers. Byproviding granular individual control over the power consumption ofindividual circuit blocks within a device, many more device and systempower states are possible.

System level power management may be of particular benefit in SOCsystems that use DDC structures. As discussed previously, DDC structuresallow for a high level of programmability in nanoscale transistors.Because of the relatively wide range of available nominal thresholdvoltages V_(T), the relatively low σV_(T), and the relatively high bodycoefficient of DDC structures, transistors that are all manufactured tohave the same intrinsic V_(T) and to be operated with the same operatingvoltage V_(DD) can be configured after to power up to operate indistinct operating modes, using different actual V_(T) and, potentially,different actual operating voltages V_(DD), on a circuit block bycircuit block basis. This kind of flexibility allows the same chip to bedesigned for use in a variety of target systems and operating conditionsand dynamically configured for operation in situ. This could beparticularly useful for systems, whether sacs or not, that are connectedto AC power sometimes and use battery power at other times.

FIG. 53 shows a Network 5300 that includes a number of systems 5301,5302 and 5303 interconnected, as necessary, using interconnect 5310. Forexample, in some cases, interconnect 5310 provides a common path forcommunication between all of the systems 5304-1 through 5304-n. In othercases, interconnect provides point-to-point communications between oneset of systems while providing a common communications path amonganother set of systems. Interconnect 5310 thus may be configured in anyway that is appropriate to meet the goals of the network designer usingconventional techniques for communicating using the system that can beconnected to the target network including, for example, wired, wireless,broadcast, point-to-point and peer-to-peer. The “n” of 5304-n is meantto convey that there may be as many systems as a network may allow anddoes not imply that there is a maximum of nine systems.

The deeply depleted channel, transistor, integrated circuit and systemtechnologies described above provide the ability for highly granularcontrol of systems attached to a network. Having such a high level ofcontrol over networked systems could be of particular use in enterprisenetworks to reduce energy costs incurred by equipment that is on but notbeing used. Such control could also be of subscription-based wirelessnetworks including, for example, cellular telephone networks, whether toassist in controlling power consumption, turning system capabilities onor off depending on the terms of subscription, selectively puttingcertain functional units or portions thereof into a higher performingmode of operation (e.g., “turbo mode”) to boost performance.

FIG. 54 shows an exemplary method for using a system such as thatdescribed with respect to FIG. 52 , whether alone or in conjunction witha network such as that described with respect to FIG. 53 . After thesystem is powered on in step 5410, the system sets the power modes ofthe system components (e.g., functional units) that are made using thetypes of transistors, groups of transistors, and/or integrated circuitsdiscussed herein, either in response to an external signal provided overthe network, a central mode control signal provided by a functional unitwithin the system, or local mode control signal generated separately ineach functional unit that is capable of multimode operation. Asdescribed above, a single component may have different portionsconfigured to operate in different modes; e.g., one portion of acomponent may be configured to operate in the legacy mode, while anotherportion of the same component may be configured to operate in low power,low leakage mode. In step 5430, the system monitors its usage todetermine whether to change its power modes. The monitoring function maybe performed centrally by one functional unit, it may be distributed tomultiple functional units that each may make local determinations aboutmodes based on monitoring specific conditions, or both (e.g., onefunctional unit may determine that it should go into sleep mode based onits own criteria, notwithstanding that a central monitor has notdetermined to put the entire system into deep sleep; similarly, acentral monitor may determine to put the entire system into a deep sleepmode notwithstanding that one component has determined to put itselfinto turbo mode after the initial mode setting in order to boostperformance). Step 5430 repeats until it is determined that the statusof the system or a functional unit has changed such that a new powermode is required, in which case step 5440 is performed. As shown, if itis determined at step 5440 that system power down is required, thesystem is shut off in step 5450. Otherwise, step 5420 is repeated forone or more functional units, depending on what status change isrequired. In this manner, a user of a system or chip made using thetechnologies described herein may benefit from the advantages thereof.

While certain exemplary embodiments have been described and shown in theaccompanying drawings, it is to be understood that such embodiments aremerely illustrative of and not restrictive on the broad invention, andthat this invention not be limited to the specific constructions andarrangements shown and described, since various other modifications mayoccur to those ordinarily skilled in the art. Accordingly, thespecification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative ratherthan a restrictive sense.

Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerousmodifications and alterations of the device and method may be made whileretaining the teachings of the invention. Accordingly, the abovedisclosure should be construed as limited only by the metes and boundsof the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A field effect transistor (FET) formed in a dopedwell, the FET having a source, a drain, and a gate stack having a gatelength, the FET comprising: a screening region positioned above thedoped well, the screening region being doped with a first type ofdopant, the screening region being electrically coupled to the dopedwell, the screening region being positioned below the gate stack; asubstantially undoped semiconductive layer formed above the screeningregion, the substantially undoped semiconductive layer being adjacent tothe screening region; a threshold voltage setting region in thesubstantially undoped semiconductive layer, the threshold voltagesetting region being doped with the first type of dopant, the thresholdvoltage setting region dopant concentration modifying a thresholdvoltage of the FET; wherein the gate stack is positioned above the dopedwell to control conduction between a drain and a source, the source andthe drain being doped with a second type of dopant; wherein at least aportion of the substantially undoped semiconductive layer is maintainedas a substantially undoped channel region having a dopant concentrationless than 1×10¹⁷ atoms/cm³, with the substantially undoped channelregion laterally positioned between the source and the drain andvertically positioned between the gate stack and the threshold voltagesetting region, and the threshold voltage setting region is verticallypositioned between the substantially undoped channel region and thescreening region; wherein the screening region has a dopantconcentration greater than ten times the dopant concentration of thesubstantially undoped channel region and sets a depth of a depletionlayer below the gate stack in a direction from the substantially undopedchannel region toward the screening region; wherein the FET is operatedon a first bias mode, a second bias mode or a third bias mode, the firstbias mode is a first condition as a first voltage between the doped welland the source being equal to zero volt and a second voltage between thedrain and the source being equal to a supply voltage, the second biasmode is a second condition as the first voltage being more than zerovolt and the second voltage being equal to the supply voltage or morethan the supply voltage, and the third bias mode is a third condition asthe first voltage being less than zero volt and the second voltage beingequal to the supply voltage or less than the supply voltage.
 2. The FETformed in a doped well according to claim 1, wherein the screeningregion extends between the drain and the source with constant dopantconcentration and respectively contacts the drain and the source.
 3. TheFET formed in a doped well according to claim 1, wherein the screeningregion is separated from the drain and the source.
 4. The FET formed ina doped well according to claim 1, wherein the undoped channel comprisesa layer of which dopant concentration is constant in a depth direction.5. The FET formed in a doped well according to claim 1, wherein thescreening region and the threshold voltage tuning region are doped bysame dopant.
 6. The FET formed in a doped well according to claim 1,wherein the depletion layer does not go through the screening region,regardless of a voltage of the doped well when a voltage of the gatestack equals to the threshold voltage.
 7. A field effect transistor(FET) formed in a doped well, the FET having a source, a drain, and agate stack having a gate length, the FET comprising: a screening regionpositioned above the doped well, the screening region being doped with afirst type of dopant, the screening region being electrically coupled tothe doped well, the screening region being positioned below the gatestack; a substantially undoped semiconductive layer formed above thescreening region, the substantially undoped semiconductive layer beingadjacent to the screening region; a threshold voltage setting region inthe substantially undoped semiconductive layer, the threshold voltagesetting region being doped with the first type of dopant, the thresholdvoltage setting region dopant concentration modifying a thresholdvoltage of the FET; wherein the gate stack is positioned above the dopedwell to control conduction between a drain and a source, the source andthe drain being doped with a second type of dopant; wherein at least aportion of the substantially undoped semiconductive layer is maintainedas a substantially undoped channel region having a dopant concentrationless than 1×10¹⁷ atoms/cm³, with the substantially undoped channelregion laterally positioned between the source and the drain andvertically positioned between the gate stack and the threshold voltagesetting region, and the threshold voltage setting region is verticallypositioned between the substantially undoped channel region and thescreening region; wherein the screening region has a dopantconcentration greater than ten times the dopant concentration of thesubstantially undoped channel region and sets a depth of a depletionlayer below the gate stack in a direction from the substantially undopedchannel region toward the screening region; wherein the FET is operatedon a first bias mode, a second bias mode or a third bias mode, the firstbias mode is a first condition as a first voltage between the doped welland the source being equal to zero volt and a second voltage between thedrain and the source being equal to 0.4 volts, more than 0.4 volts andless than 0.7 volts, or equal to 0.7 volts, the second bias mode is asecond condition as the first voltage being equal to 0.1 volts, morethan 0.1 volts and less than 0.55 volts, or equal to 0.55 volts and thesecond voltage being equal to 0.5 volts, more than 0.5 volts and lessthan 0.7 volts, or equal to 0.7 volts, and the third bias mode is athird condition as the first voltage being equal to −1.0 volts, morethan −1.0 volts and less than 0.1 volts, or equal to 0.1 volts and thesecond voltage being equal to 0.3 volts, more than 0.3 volts and lessthan 0.5 volts, or equal to 0.5 volts.
 8. The FET formed in a doped wellaccording to claim 7, wherein the screening region extends between thedrain and the source with constant dopant concentration and respectivelycontacts the drain and the source.
 9. The FET formed in a doped wellaccording to claim 7, wherein the screening region is separated from thedrain and the source.
 10. The FET formed in a doped well according toclaim 7, wherein the undoped channel comprises a layer of which dopantconcentration is constant in a depth direction.
 11. The FET formed in adoped well according to claim 7, wherein the screening region and thethreshold voltage tuning region are doped by same dopant.
 12. The FETformed in a doped well according to claim 7, wherein the depletion layerdoes not go through the screening region, regardless of a voltage of thedoped well when a voltage of the gate stack equals to the thresholdvoltage.